The Shortest Distance from A to B
by zero-damage
Summary: Persona 4. A record of Kanji Tatsumi's year - specifically, his interactions with and raging crush on one difficult pint-size detective.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: First: People who have me on alert, I apologize. I am posting six chapters at once of a niche-interest story. You do get a new Souji/Persona-3-PSP-chan fic afterwards, though._

_This is the first installment of Shortest Distance, a long fic that covers Kanji Tatsumi's year from May 2011 to 2012; specifically his interactions with (and raging crush on) Naoto Shirogane. Kanji and Naoto are the focus, but the rest of the cast are heavily involved; don't read it you're looking for purely KanNao._

_Naoto doesn't feature much until mid-year, so ____t_he first few chapters are quick and mostly game stuff - _ b__ut __after that the focus switches to a mix of tweaked game plot and "missing scenes" - albeit with a significant divergence in December's events.  
_

_Many thanks to Rayless Night for her help with criticisms, editing, and correcting my habitual inconsistencies (if you aren't already, go read her excellent P3-P4 crossover fic, Elysion)_

_Hope a few of you out there enjoy this. I understand Kanji/Naoto is not the most popular Naoto pairing around these parts - but Kanji deserves his shot, right? _

* * *

**May 16th, 2011**

"I'm interested in you."

Kanji knew he'd heard that wrong for several reasons. First, he couldn't think of a single person on Earth who'd find him 'interesting'. Second, the voice sounded completely indifferent. Third, it came from the boy standing opposite him. "Uh...what...?"

The boy tipped his cap with one hand and looked up. "I am interested in you. There are things we should discuss."

Slender fingers, smooth skin, blue-grey eyes. Kanji's stomach made a flop straight for the ground. "Th-things-?"

"Are you free to meet tomorrow afternoon?"

Unable to make the right sort of noise - or much of a noise at all - Kanji nodded dumbly.

What was _with_ this guy? He'd just walked out the textile shop door, gone over to Kanji and come right out with that 'interesting' line. Hadn't missed a beat. Hadn't looked even a little scared, despite Kanji being over a full head taller than him. Hell, it was like the height difference didn't even exist. The kid had guts - which left Kanji with a major problem, because now he wanted this boy to keep looking at him, keep talking to him, and he couldn't understand why.

Not like it was his _fault._ Guys had absolutely no right being that pretty. No wonder people got confused. He sure as hell was, and it'd been going on for months.

The boy nodded back, curt and formal. "Then I'll meet you at the gates after school tomorrow."

"S-sure. Sounds great." Kanji hadn't been to school in weeks.

Without a word, the boy turned away, his cap shielding his eyes again, and started walking briskly toward the north end of the district. Kanji stayed standing, watching until the kid disappeared from view and wishing he didn't feel so disappointed.

_Get it together, man._ He straightened his back, yanked up the collar of his jacket -and spotted four kids in the alley beside his mother's store, all huddled together and gawking at him.

Shit, had they seen the whole thing? Because if they had, if they'd seen that boy, they'd think Kanji was- -

He lunged forward, fists balled._ "What the hell are you pricks lookin' at?" _

The eavesdroppers scattered. As Kanji watched them run down the street, stuttering out apologies and almost tripping over each other on the way, he realized he'd never thought to ask the boy's name.

* * *

**May 17th, 2011**

Ten minutes of 'fixing' his hair had done completely the opposite. Kanji had resorted to smoothing it down with a wet hand, and now it wasn't so much swept back as glued to his head. He'd been fussing with his piercings too, and his clothes, because for some reason he actually gave a shit what that scrawny weird kid thought of him. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._

He sighed, forehead pressed against the restroom mirror. What the hell was he _doing_?

Showing up at school for this guy had been a miracle in itself. Kanji had shown up for his first day of high school, just to make Ma happy. He'd lasted three hours. And nothing had changed since then - not the kids shrinking away from him in the corridors, or the teachers pursing their lips, or Morooka giving him crap for no good reason. Yasogami High was junior high all over again, just with different faces.

Kanji scowled at the mirror - trying to intimidate himself into being less of a pussy, maybe - but all he saw was a clumsy guy in a leather jacket, bent over a sink and looking scared shitless. "Idiot," he muttered, then straightened and let out a long breath. Time to go meet this kid.

He was two strides from the door when he heard a sudden thud behind him - like someone smacking into a wall - followed by a loud yelp. Kanji swiveled around, fists clenched, just as that Junes brat (Hanamura, wasn't it?) barged out of a bathroom stall with one hand clutching his knee.

"Uh - guess I just tripped over! Totally wasn't watching you! Wh-What an idiot, right?" Hanamura stammered, offering Kanji a wide, terrified smile while managing a high speed limp out the door.

...Hadn't he been hanging around yesterday too?

Kanji cursed under his breath and vowed to beat the crap out of Hanamura later. It'd be good stress relief.

* * *

If he hadn't known better - and if he hadn't been paranoid about everything, lately - Kanji would've sworn they were being followed.

The kid had led him down to the path by the floodplains; they needed to talk, he'd said. Except they weren't. Instead, they were just walking through the trees in silence, the kid looking straight ahead while Kanji glanced around for anyone who might be watching. They'd already passed a bunch of kids wearing the Yasogami uniform, most of whom he'd had to glare at till they looked away.

...Like it even mattered. Didn't matter what Kanji did or said anymore. Maybe it never had. Maybe this was how it would always work: people treating him like a freak, all stares and whispers and girls giggling at him when they thought he was out of earshot, just because he didn't fit in and had given up trying.

And perhaps that was just fine, he thought, stealing a glance at the boy beside him. If people would talk no matter what, he might as well give them something worth gossiping about. Then the boy looked up, and Kanji quickly turned his head away.

"Has anything unusual happened lately?" the boy asked.

_Unusual_. Talk about an understatement. Kanji almost laughed, but it came out as a grunt instead. It hadn't meant anything, but the kid must have figured he was pissed off or something - because he stopped, tilted his head up and looked at Kanji with those eyes again.

"I apologize, I haven't yet introduced myself." He held out his hand. "Naoto Shirogane."

Kanji had been expecting a bow, if anything, but he still grabbed the kid's hand on reflex. It was small - fit almost completely inside his - and the skin was smooth against his palm. He tried to give the manliest handshake he could muster, but it wound up sort of pathetic, both because he was worried about breaking the guy's hand and because he was a hair's breadth from running away. It felt like his heart was pounding a dent into his ribcage, so strong and fast he swore it would reverberate down his arm.

"Uh - Kanji. T-Tatsumi. Kanji Tatsumi." Three attempts just to get his name out. He would've kicked his own ass if he could.

The kid - _Naoto_, _Naoto Shirogane_ - nodded, then let go of his hand. When he spoke, his voice was smooth, level, and everything Kanji's wasn't. "I know. After all, I came to see you."

_Smug little bastard_, part of Kanji's mind thought. Another part told him to just shut up and listen, because holy crap, the kid had come to see _him_.

The rest sputtered, sparked, and finally shorted out. "To - to see _me_? Whoa, I-I'm not like that, okay? N-nothing like it!"

He knew he was babbling. Hell, he could practically feel the wires in his brain frying, and he felt his fists balling up before he forced them down to his sides.

Naoto just stared at him, hand on hip.

"Wh-what? What're you looking at?" Kanji snapped.

Naoto shook his head, still staring. "You are an odd person, Kanji Tatsumi."

_Odd?_

Who the hell was this kid to call him odd, some midget in a dumb cap who looked like he'd gotten dressed fifty years ago? Kanji shrugged his shoulders, ignored the tightness in his throat, and told himself it didn't matter. "Wh-whatever. Just makin' sure, yeah?"

Naoto stared at him a moment more, expression perfectly neutral, then continued walking. "Now, as I was asking before..."

Kanji took a deep breath and shortened his strides to keep pace.

* * *

In the end, nothing much seemed to happen. Naoto kept asking vague questions but Kanji couldn't listen no matter how hard he tried, not with so many thoughts buzzing around in his head. Particularly when all the thoughts were about him, Naoto, and sometimes him _and _Naoto. So he just nodded instead, and grunted at what he hoped were the right points. Naoto didn't seem to care either way. Maybe that was how things were supposed to go. Just their first time talking, right?

Two guys, talking. Nothing big. Nothing worth feeling so damn sick over.

They kept walking, with Naoto talking, until they reached the crossroads that branched off toward the train station, and the north side of town. Naoto stopped and looked up at Kanji again, still without a hint of hesitation. "Thank you for your time, Kanji Tatsumi," he said - then, with a dip of his cap, turned and began to walk away.

Which was something that Kanji really, _really _didn't want to happen. "H-hey! Wait!"

Naoto glanced back, looking vaguely curious.

"Uh...c-can I-" Kanji stopped and growled under his breath. Dammit, what was wrong with him? He could _do_ this. He tensed his muscles, squared his shoulders, and tried a second time. "I-I wanna see you again, okay?"

Moments passed. Kanji had them pegged for days instead, with him stuck standing there feeling determined and pathetic and frustrated all at once. Didn't help that it'd come out more like a threat than an invitation.

And Naoto? He didn't say a damn thing. Just stared some more - and, finally, gave a single nod.

Kanji had honestly expected him to say _no_ or _what the hell's wrong with you_ or any of the other hundred things he'd imagined in those few seconds of silence. Agreement, he wasn't ready for. "Uh - that - that's great!" he managed to call after Naoto, who was already walking away again. "S'great! I-I'll see you, yeah?"

Naoto didn't answer. Didn't say when or where they'd meet either, but Kanji figured that was fine. Inaba was a pretty small town.

* * *

**May 23rd, 2011**

Even though every part of him ached, head to toe, and Yosuke had wound up half-dragging him back to the store, Kanji felt weirdly proud. He was probably the only person in the world who'd physically punched out his own self-doubts.

Close-run thing, though. He didn't remember much before passing out, but the three huge, crazy-looking monsters looming over him had been enough. Those kids he'd seen before - Hanamura and his friends - had bailed him out big time.

No, not kids, _senpai_. Whether or not he showed up at school, he could at least try to act right around them. He hadn't even registered that Yukiko Amagi was with them, it'd been so long since they'd last talked. That, and he'd been so caught up with Naoto that he probably wouldn't have noticed if his own mother had been standing right next to them in that alley.

It was all too much to process, and too early for him to try. Getting knocked out and waking up inside a television, being stuck in that stupid sauna and finding out it was all pulled from his own head, getting his _own_ weird monster, his Persona. Back inside, before the senpai had shown up, Kanji had wanted to blame Naoto for the whole thing, for throwing him so off-kilter he'd gotten stuck in some bizarre dream. _Especially_ once he realized he was in a bathhouse.

But what bothered him most had been that thing he'd beaten down. His Shadow, or whatever Souji-senpai had said; Kanji had been mentally alternating between the terms "fake me", "loincloth-wearing asshole", and occasionally "guy who really knew what was up". _Accept me for who I am_. Maybe that was all he wanted. Sure, he felt pissed off even thinking about his Shadow, all yellow eyes, snide lisped comments and flamboyant gestures. But it was still him - just a portion that he'd tried to pound into the ground, because hitting stuff was always his default solution for everything. Or had been. That part needed changing in the morning and he'd been staring at the ceiling for at least an hour, but his head was the clearest it'd been in years, like the fog had lifted away.

Maybe it wasn't really about guys or girls or any of that crap, but just being brave enough to take a chance. Maybe he needed to go find Naoto again.

But, okay, suppose he did. Suppose he finally grew a damn spine. What happened then? Kanji had spent half his life trying to make people hate him, and he had a bad feeling that somewhere along the way he'd forgotten how to stop. Didn't help that he wasn't even sure what he wanted from Naoto, other than to let Kanji look at him, keep him talking, keep listening. _Keep acting like a creepy bastard_, he thought, and scowled. Couldn't help wanting it, though, not when Naoto was the first person in years who'd just talked to him. No lecturing or cowering or laughing, no weird looks. They could just hang out, maybe, Kanji wasn't going to _push_ it or anything, just be nice to have a friend, right?

Right. A friend. A guy he'd spoken to twice who'd stared a bunch and called him an 'odd person'. Naoto seemed pretty weird himself, and he still thought the same way as everyone else.

"Screw it," Kanji muttered to no-one in particular, then rolled over and tried to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Story so far: Kanji meets Naoto, misinterprets things horribly - then defeats his Shadow, which doesn't help his complex as much as he hoped.  
_

_In this part: Rise joins the team, the killer is caught, and Kanji learns Naoto isn't always who he seems. __Spoilers through August._

* * *

**June 2011**

June kind of sucked, all told. Not only was Risette - who Kanji was apparently supposed to have heard of - the next to go, but they were all sent to pick litter off a mountainside first. Better yet, he got to sit in a tent while Yosuke Hanamura, raging heterosexual, flapped about worrying that he might get jumped in his sleep.

Kind of suspicious, all told. Maybe the guy had some sort of complex.

Unfortunately, Kanji had never been good at keeping his temper, especially with paranoid assholes who wouldn't shut the hell up, and he wound up running over to the girls' side just to prove a point. What he'd done when he got there was a mystery. Kanji woke up the next morning lying in the mud with the worst headache he'd ever had, and an unusually-concerned Chie Satonaka kneeling at his side. After that, the day had only gotten worse - but Kanji had promised himself he was never going to think about the waterfall again _ever_, and if Yosuke mentioned it in any way, he had full Souji-senpai-sanctioned permission to break his legs.

Straight after they came back from camp, Risette showed up on the television. The team tried to warn her but it was no use, especially when they got sidetracked by that creepy fan with the camera. By the time they'd caught him, Rise was probably already inside the TV - but it was fine, in the end, because they pulled her out even after Teddie's Shadow crashed the party.

This was the first big battle Kanji had fought, and the hardest. Yosuke hit the deck twice, Yukiko-senpai ran out of steam completely, and it was only with Rise's help that they made it through. Later, the senpai all said it was their toughest fight yet.

Maybe it was wrong - they'd come dangerously close to wiping out - but Kanji kind of liked hearing that.

The pride only lasted up until the fog settled in. King Moron was dead by the next morning, and now nothing made sense. He hadn't shown up in the static and his Shadow hadn't turned up on the Midnight Channel and started talking shit.

Morooka's Shadow, Kanji reflected, would probably have seemed _nice_ in comparison. As it stood, he wasn't going to pretend he was cut up over a teacher who'd hated his guts. Hell, nobody seemed to be. Kind of sad, really - but the guy had been an asshole. What pissed Kanji off was that the team had given it everything they had and still gotten it wrong.

But if June sucked, July was just _weird_.

* * *

**July 10th, 2011**

It started when they went to see Risette - _Rise_, they were calling her now - because Naoto was standing outside the tofu shop waiting for them.

Caught by surprise, Kanji's instinctive response was a long list of questions: where the hell had the guy been, weren't they supposed to hang out, had he done something wrong? Fortunately, his next thought was that Naoto probably hadn't meant it anyway - and, more importantly, that any question and answer session would have an audience entirely consisting of his senpai, including Yosuke Hanamura.

Kanji winced, and made a futile attempt to hide at the back of the group. It didn't make a difference; Naoto was looking at Souji.

"Are you here to ingratiate yourselves with Rise Kujikawa now?" he asked, eyes even cooler than his voice.

...He'd been way, _way _nicer to Kanji. Which probably meant something - it had to, right? - and so put Kanji in a pretty good mood for the three seconds before Yosuke opened his fat mouth.

He glanced at Kanji, then back at Naoto. "Hey! Aren't you that guy we saw with Kanji?"

Kanji said nothing, instead devoting all his effort to making himself as small as possible (which wasn't very) and not turning bright red. The effort didn't have much impact on Naoto, who just nodded and told them all his name - which, stupid as it was, Kanji had really liked being the only one to know.

"I'm in town to investigate the murders," he'd added, and a whole bunch of stuff suddenly made sense. And not in a way Kanji liked.

Outside of family, Naoto had been the first person in what felt like forever to just talk to him, treat him like a person. He'd even been dumb enough to wonder if their meeting at school had counted as some sort of date - when really, Naoto had just been pressing him for answers.

...Whatever. Wasn't like he'd _wanted_ it to be one. Just wanted to talk with the kid, maybe hang out together with someone smart who spoke well and looked good and-

Fortunately, Naoto was too busy going on about the stupid case to notice Kanji wincing and shaking his head. "Morooka never appeared on television," he said. "What are your thoughts on that?"

Chie and Yukiko glanced at each other, Kanji tried to look everywhere except at Naoto, and Souji-senpai just shrugged. With one foot tapping rapid-fire against the ground, Yosuke was the only one to manage an answer. "H-How are we supposed to know?"

"Well, we'll leave it at that." Somehow, Naoto managed to sound even more smug than last time they'd met. "I'll be keeping an eye on you all," he warned, just before he turned and walked away.

Damn. He really _was _onto them.

"How the hell did he know?" Chie hissed, once he was out of earshot. "It took us forever to notice the TV thing!"

"He has a point." Souji was still staring after Naoto. "I can't believe I didn't realize before, but King Moron broke the pattern. Shirogane's sharp."

"And a jerk," Yosuke said, arms folded.

Yukiko shook her head. "It felt like he completely saw through us!"

Which was frustrating as hell - but maybe not all that bad. It might mean they could work with Naoto on the case, figure it out as a team. It was about as likely as Kanji scoring top of the year in his next set of exams, and he knew it - but he'd never had a problem with dumb hopes.

* * *

**July 11th, 2011  
**

How the hell was a kid Kanji's age a detective? That was like him calling himself a mob boss just cause he'd been picked up by the cops a couple times, right?

Except he could almost believe it. The way Naoto carried himself, you'd think he was ten years older and thirty centimeters taller. Just like now: standing next to the picnic table in the food court, hand on hip, as if he'd practiced the pose. Given the circumstances, Kanji figured his sudden unkind thought - that the only reason Naoto didn't look ridiculous was that the team were all sitting down - was pretty excusable.

"You don't deny, then, that you have involved yourself with this case?" Nobody answered, but Naoto barely gave them chance. "No matter. I have no need to say anything further." Then he turned to make his big exit, just like always - but stopped short as Rise jumped to her feet and smacked her palms against the table.

"Aren't you the one who thinks of this as a game?" she snapped. "All you're doing is solving mysteries, playing at detective!" She jabbed a finger towards Naoto, teamed with a glare that almost made Kanji shiver. "You're the one who's playing a game here!"

_Ouch_. Kanji would've wanted to defend Naoto if he hadn't spent the past five minutes being a condescending little shit. It made no difference anyway, because he just _stood_ there. Didn't snap back at Rise, didn't storm off - didn't even look upset.

"Rise's right," Yosuke cut in. "The second victim, Saki Konishi. You know her?"

Naoto nodded. "I've seen her files."

"So? How does _that _matter? You didn't know her and you don't know any of us - because if you did, you'd know this wasn't a game"

"A game." The cap hid Naoto's eyes, but not the wry smile on his face. "That may be quite true."

"Ah, I get it." In an instant, Yosuke's glare shifted to a smirk. "What, did they get rid of you now they've got their man? Is that why you came here?" He leaned back and stared at Naoto, arms folded. "You were _lonely_?"

Naoto didn't even blink. How the hell could he be so damn calm all the time? _Everybody _got pissed off sometimes. Didn't matter how much of an ace detective you were - or how much of a jerk.

"Detectives normally aren't involved with arrests," he said. "And we never harbor any special emotions regarding a case, either."

_Or anything else_, Kanji thought. And maybe it was kind of cruel to believe that, but it made everything easier - because then that "odd person" crap didn't matter and neither did the fact that he still wanted Naoto to talk to him, acknowledge him, and just-

There wasn't a way to finish the thought. He still didn't know what he wanted and that was half the problem. But if the police had kicked Naoto off the case - believable, given all cops were assholes - then wouldn't he be planning to leave town? "Uh - so they d-dropped you?" Kanji managed to stammer out, staring firmly at the table.

Unable to see Naoto, all he heard was the response. "It _is_ rather unfortunate that people are only attentive so long as our services are required - but I'm accustomed to it." And it was well-phrased, well-delivered, all the crap Naoto did so well, but there was something in his voice that made Kanji stop and think. For a single moment, something slipped in that cool and precise demeanor - and then the wall came right back up again.

"Well, I'll be going now." With that, Naoto walked away. For someone who worked so hard on making a good exit, it probably ranked on the same level as crawling out the food court gate.

Chie grimaced. "You know, just when I think that guy can't get more annoying..."

Souji shook his head. "Don't worry about him. I'm more interested in this new suspect."

Easy for Senpai to say. All Kanji could think was that Naoto needed a serious attitude adjustment, which was pretty damning coming from a bad-tempered not-quite-delinquent. And hadn't he sounded kind of bitter?

Whatever. Kanji pushed the thought out his head, rested his elbows on the table, and tried to look like he was paying attention as the others talked about who this new suspect might be.

* * *

**July 30th, 2011  
**

The new suspect - Mitsuo Kubo - was the reason July turned out so strange. Kanji had never really been into video games, but now he never wanted to see one again - at least not the blocky crap that Kubo's head had thrown together. By the time the team made it to his Shadow, everyone's eyes were aching, glasses or not, and even Yosuke said he wasn't touching his Playstation for the next month.

The Shadow itself was just plain weird. Maybe even disappointing. Rise's had been prancing around in a bikini, Kanji's in a fundoshi, and Yosuke had dropped a dozen hints about Yukiko and princess gowns - but this one was completely different. Couldn't tell it apart from Kubo, even with them standing toe-to-toe. The team took them both down in a battle Kanji knew would leave him sore for days, then dragged the real Kubo back out into Junes with the asshole snickering the whole damn way. He still hadn't stopped doing it when the cops showed to pick him up - and Naoto arrived with them.

Probably eager to add another case to his tally, Kanji figured. He didn't make the arrest - he probably wasn't allowed - and he didn't say a word the whole time, but the way he looked at the team, each of them in turn, _really _pissed Kanji off. This weird mix of smug superiority and - he wasn't sure, he'd never been good at reading people. Curiosity, maybe.

It went both ways; none of the team spoke to Naoto either. Souji was talking with the lead cop, spinning some story about where they found Kubo, which left everyone else just staring at each other in silence. It was stupid, awkward and mostly Naoto's fault - but when he left with Kubo and the cops, Kanji was still a little disappointed. He'd have felt it much more if he'd known this was the last time he'd see the kid for almost a month.

* * *

**August 27th, 2011 **

The voice got him first. He recognized it instantly, but it sounded _different_. Strained, higher in pitch and definitely louder than usual. More importantly, it was also coming from right outside the textiles shop.

It was too late in the evening for this - Ma had gone to bed early, dammit - and if it'd been anyone else, Kanji would've been severely pissed. But it was _Naoto_, and something definitely wasn't right. He jumped out of bed, tugged on his jeans, and ran to the open bedroom window.

A cop was standing in the street below, almost right underneath the window ledge. Same asshole that normally walked the district at night and always gave Kanji grief, and had even hauled him into the station a few times. Nothing unusual about seeing him here - except that Naoto was loudly tearing him a new one.

Damn. Weren't they supposed to be working together? Kanji had figured the police had chosen to call Naoto in to start with; Souji-senpai had suggested it was damage control, after a month with two bodies and no suspects, and a killer still on the loose. But then there was that stuff Naoto had said back in July, something about his services no longer being needed. Maybe the cops really _had _cold-shouldered him out.  
_  
_"I'm telling you, he isn't the killer!" Naoto's voice sounded even tighter, almost cracking on the first few words. "Are you people blind?"

...Did he mean Kubo?

No way. Naoto was smarter than that. _Everyone _knew it was Kubo. The guy had fessed up to anyone and everyone who'd listen.

From Kanji's position, the cop's response wasn't more than a low rumble, but whatever he'd said, Naoto just got more pissed off. "While you're wasting time, the real culprit will-"_  
_

The sentence stopped dead. The cop was already striding away in the opposite direction. Didn't look back once at Naoto, whom Kanji could see shaking with anger even from ten feet above. He made a sharp gesture with one arm, stamped his foot hard against the ground - and his shoulders slumped.

Kanji was down the stairs and out the shop door before he had chance to think.

Outside, Naoto was still shivering, his hands balled into fists at his sides. It was hard to see them under the cap, but Kanji swore his eyes were shining. "Uh, y-you okay?"

No answer. Naoto just stood there, breathing hard and staring at the ground.

This wasn't right. This kid never got upset about _anything_.

"C'mon, don't-" Kanji reached out without thinking, put one hand on Naoto's shoulder - and jerked back just as the other boy jolted away.

Kanji's instant reaction was to try to form an apology - or hell, any sort of response at all - but his mind was blank. Shit, he'd just wanted to help, wasn't like he'd-

"Wh-What are you-" Naoto twisted away, one arm held to his face.

"S-sorry, man, I d-didn't-"

"You - I don't-" Naoto couldn't seem to get a full sentence out either, and he was still shielding his eyes with his hand.

Fists clenching and unclenching, Kanji swallowed hard and forced his voice steady. "I just wanna - look, what was with that cop?"

No answer. Long moments passed in silence, Naoto still breathing hard, until he finally lowered his arm and the mask right back into place.

"It's nothing," he muttered. "Excuse me, I need to go." Head down, he dodged to one side and ran off through the shopping district.

Kanji didn't understand one damn thing about what had just happened. That didn't stop him bitching himself out the rest of the night for not having the guts to follow.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Story so far: The team has rescued Rise and beaten Kubo, and decide the case is over. Naoto has other ideas.  
_

_In this part: Naoto starts school in stunningly poor fashion, Chie and Yosuke are masters of arguing over nothing, and Kanji doesn't read. __Spoilers through September 5th._

* * *

**September 3rd, 2011**

Naoto showing up unannounced at the start of the new school term hadn't done wonders for Kanji's composure. He'd spent most of the day alternating between trying to avoid the kid and bullying himself into manning up, neither of which had worked.

But by the following day, he'd pulled himself back together - a little, at least. He'd even taken a couple of lessons with Naoto now, the ones the school ran with multiple first year classes, and he swore the kid was some sort of genius. Never answered questions unless the teacher asked him directly, but when they did, he got every single one right. He knew _everything_. Kanji hated being called on more than ever now, because Naoto probably thought he was a total moron for almost always answering wrong. Maybe he was. All he knew was that he didn't give a crap about school, and the stuff he was really good at, nobody was interested in. Who gave a crap about sewing and crafts?

For all his smarts, though, Naoto didn't seem much better off. He still wasn't making any friends and every time Kanji saw him - not that he'd been _following _him or anything, that'd be creepy - he was either standing alone in the corridor or giving girls the brush-off. Too different to fit in, maybe. Kanji could sympathize. But the girls just kept on chasing him, no matter how cold he was or how many times he blanked them completely. Didn't make sense - weren't chicks supposed to go for the masculine types? They kicked up enough of a fuss over guys they thought _weren't_, something Kanji knew from bitter experience.

Screw it, he was tired of trying to understand that stuff. Tired of school too, after only three days into the semester. He couldn't skip out after all his promises to Souji-senpai, so he settled for bolting out the classroom door the moment the the bell rang after the final class. Today he was already halfway out the door before the ringing had died away, striding down the corridor toward the man door. He shot a quick glance into Naoto's classroom on his way past - just to check things out, nothing special - then stopped dead.

Inside, Rise Kujikawa was perched on Naoto's desk, all short skirt and smiles and leaning in so close she was practically on top of him. Naoto didn't look happy. But he never did - and what guy wouldn't be interested in a girl like Rise?

_Apart from you_, _Tatsumi_.

Kanji pushed the thought aside. Wasn't like he was gonna start an argument with himself. Take-Mikazuchi handled that just fine, even if none of the things his Persona said had any actual words. Dammit, he just wished he knew what Rise and Naoto were saying. All he could make out were Rise's regular sing-song tones; Naoto's voice was too low to hear at all.

An idol and the boy who knew everything. Kanji wanted to kick himself for feeling so jealous.

A minute or so later, Rise sighed and stood up from the desk. She didn't seem surprised to see Kanji hovering near the door, and he had the sinking feeling she'd known he was there all along. This was Rise, after all.

"If you want to copy Naoto-kun's work, Kanji-kun, you're out of luck. I couldn't convince him," she said, and winked. "Guess there's two guys in Inaba immune to my charms. Funny, huh?"

The scowl Kanji shot at her did nothing to calm the churning in his stomach. As if his body was telling him he should just turn around, march out the main door and forget this whole stupid thing - because why was he even here, except to just gawk at Naoto?

...Maybe they could just talk to each other. Guy to guy. Whatever. That was all right, wasn't it?

With a deep breath, he walked into the classroom and over to Naoto, who was sitting at his desk with his arms folded, staring at the far wall. He didn't turn his head. "Kanji Tatsumi."

He remembered? "Y-yeah. Thass me."

When Naoto finally looked up, Kanji almost leapt two steps back on reflex. "Yes, it is. I've been meaning to thank you for your previous assistance with my inquiries."

"I-I- uh, I didn't really help much. D-Didn't have much to tell the cops much after I got brought back, either." Maybe he shouldn't have mentioned the police, because just for a moment Naoto looked a little pissed off. Kanji still wanted to what had happened last month, that argument with the cop outside the store - because, thinking about it afterward, he swore Naoto had been crying. The idea alone confused him beyond anything. This kid was untouchable.

But Naoto had this _look_ in his eyes, almost like he was challenging Kanji to say something about what he'd seen - so to hell with it, he wouldn't say a word.

Naoto glanced him up and down. "You are friends with Rise Kujikawa. Did you also come to copy my schoolwork?"

"No way!" Kanji had a long, not-too-proud history of scraping through every exam he'd taken - but he also had his pride, and the knowledge that he'd never be smart enough to not get caught. He shook his head, wishing he could keep his eyes on Naoto for more than a few seconds at a time. "Ain't fair. 'Sides, if I get good grades it'll freak the teachers out."

Naoto raised an eyebrow, and even if it was almost too faint to tell, Kanji thought he might actually be smiling. Or smirking, maybe. Either way, it didn't seem to fit.

"Perhaps you're too hard on yourself," he said. "But if you don't want to see my work, why are you here?"

The kid definitely needed to smile more, _really_ smile. At least then Kanji wouldn't feel so dumb and clumsy. Wasn't going to happen, though, not with a guy who did a damn good impression of a robot - and in any case, the smile would never be for Kanji. He grit his teeth. "No reason," he lied, then strode out of the classroom before Naoto could respond.

* * *

**September 4th, 2011**

By this point, the team went to Junes only out of habit. No need to go inside the television and train with Kubo locked up. Kanji couldn't remember how he'd spent his Saturday afternoons back before all this had started, or his time after school each night. Skulking round the shopping district, probably, or hiding in his room and sewing.

Souji had skipped out on the meeting today - something about going on a family outing, which made sense now his uncle wasn't working seven days a week - and Yukiko and Rise were gone too, busy at the inn and the tofu store. The absences left Kanji, Chie and Yosuke sitting at a picnic bench in the food court, with the latter two looking about as bored as Kanji felt.

As always, the place was packed, and every so often one of the weekend staff would call Yosuke over to the stands to help. "Man, I don't even get paid for this," he muttered, the third time he returned to the table.

Chie twirled the straw in her soda cup and shrugged. "We could go someplace else."

"Nah. Nothing to do. Although," - and here, he turned towards Kanji - "we could always go look for Naoto-kun, right?" He winked. "Seeing as he blew us off last time."

Kanji scowled. "Shut it."

"Aw, you feeling hurt, Kanji-kun? Sad that Naoto didn't want to hang out?"

For someone who'd bailed out his friends in battle on more than one occasion, Hanamura was still an asshole. Kanji smacked a fist hard against the table. "I said shut it!"

Palms raised, Yosuke jerked back on the bench. "Hey, hey! Just kidding!"

"Leave him alone, Hanamura," Chie muttered. "Ignore him Kanji-kun, he's just bored."

"Well, yeah. Gotta keep myself entertained _somehow_. But seriously, I heard Naoto's really blowing it at school. Maybe we _should_ find him, give him some pointers, you know?"

"I dunno. He doesn't seem very sociable," Chie said with a shrug. "Kanji-kun, he's in your year. You ever talk to him?"

Kanji swallowed. His foot had started tapping against the ground. "N-nah. Not really, n-no reason to. Go ask Rise, she was buggin' him."

Yosuke grinned. "Figures. She must be getting tired of chasing Souji."

"She's _dangerous_." Chie shook her head, wincing. "Poor Naoto-kun."

There was no point telling them Naoto wasn't even a tiny bit interested - Rise would probably handle that later, and in a lot more detail. It wasn't right that they were gossiping about him, anyway, especially when he wasn't here. The kid deserved better than that, Kanji decided, and he pushed himself up from the bench. "Gotta go. Ma wants me at the store."

Yosuke raised an eyebrow. "Hey, didn't you say you were free all afternoon? I thought we could get something to eat."

"What, on your Junes discount again?" Chie rolled her eyes. "Classy, Hanamura!"

Leaving the two of them to their argument - the third today, if he'd counted right - Kanji walked quietly out of the food court.

* * *

**September 5th, 2011**

Kanji had hated reading since he was a kid, and for a good reason, but once he saw Naoto standing outside the bookstore he began to reconsider.

Wasn't like Kanji was _deliberately _watching him, of course. Just had nothing better to do. That was all. And Naoto had been there for the past fifteen minutes, so it was natural to glance over every so often - though admittedly, every ten seconds might've been pushing it.

Kanji should man up and go say hi, just to be friendly. Naoto had to be lonely, what with being such a grade-A asshole at school. Girls kept chasing him though - which Kanji couldn't fault them for, given he was doing the same damn thing.

He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and crossed the street to the store in what he hoped was a casual amble. Still couldn't bring himself to look at Naoto directly, so he settled for watching his reflection in the window instead.

"Uh...s'nice day out," he managed.

Naoto nodded and said nothing.

Man, this _sucked_.

Questions were good, right? "S-so...you, uh, like books?" Kanji tried.

At that, Naoto looked up - thankfully at Kanji's reflection rather than Kanji himself. Judging by his expression, he hadn't even noticed he had company. "I'm sorry?"

"Books." Kanji gestured to the window, willing his hand not to shake. "Y-you're looking at 'em."

Naoto raised an eyebrow. "Oh," he said, like he'd only just realized what he was staring at. "Well, yes. I'm fond of reading. Unfortunately, my work leaves little time for such pursuits." He turned to Kanji, who was finally forced to look at him directly. Or down at him. "Do you read?"

Honesty, Kanji decided, was probably the best policy. "Nah."

Naoto looked thoughtful for a moment, if not that surprised. "Well, should you wish to start, I can recommend several crime novels. There are-" Suddenly, he beeped - or his wrist did. Kanji noticed he was wearing a watch: dark grey metal, with one of those retro digital screens and a ton of little buttons. It looked seriously dorky. Kind of weird, too. Seemed like a detective would carry something old-fashioned, like a pocketwatch.

Naoto glanced at the watch, then at Kanji. He dipped his cap with his other hand. "I apologize, Tatsumi. Walking here aids my ruminations, but I must return home."

Kanji wanted to ask what the hell a rumination was, but he let Naoto leave in peace. Book stores sold dictionaries, right?


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Story so far: Naoto joined Yasogami High and proved himself a bundle of social fail. Rise couldn't persuade the Detective Prince to do her homework, while Kanji discovered the importance of dictionaries.  
_

_In this part: the team make a visit to Port Island, where Naoto learns to dislike trains, Kanji learns to dislike both hotels and bathrooms, and the whole team learn you don't need alcohol to get drunk. Spoilers through Sept. 9th.  
_

* * *

**September 7th, 2011**

"It's not that big a deal, seriously." Yosuke rolled his eyes again. "We're gonna spend most of the time in _school_. How's that any different than normal?"

"It ain't in Inaba," Kanji pointed out. He had no idea what the hell was up with Yosuke. Big city boy, too cool to care about what sounded like an awesome school trip. They left tomorrow and he hadn't even _started _packing.

"They're going to give us _lessons_, Kanji. Taking us all the way to the city just to sit in a classroom!"

Kanji ignored him. "Hey, how many boxes of animal crackers d'you think I need?" No sense in carrying a massive bag if he could help it, but what if he ran out? Didn't bear thinking about. "I got a case of about a hundred at home. Maybe twenty-five?"

Yosuke just sighed. "You are_ so_ lame."

"Hey, s'different for you. I've never really left this place." He'd been to see his aunt a couple of times but that was only two stops down, and on the slow train at that.

"Yeah, I guess." Yosuke's lips curled into a smirk. "Hey, isn't Naoto going too?"

_Oh crap._

Kanji hadn't thought about that at all. Too caught up in animal cracker logistics. He'd just about mastered the art of not passing out when talking to Naoto alone, but stick the rest of the team in there - especially Yosuke - and he'd be back to square one. "M-maybe. What, you think I care? You sayin' something?"

"No way, dude. Don't know what you mean," Yosuke said, eyes wide and innocent.

* * *

**September 8th 2011  
**

So it wasn't the bullet train - Kanji promised himself he'd go on that someday - but it was still damn fast. They'd already zipped through a bunch of stations, including the only one he'd ever stopped at.

The teachers had separated the students out by year, so Souji and the other senpai were a couple of carriages up. Kanji had seen Rise heading towards the back rows, smiling and chatting with a few of the other girls in her usual easy way, leaving him pretty much alone. Unsurprisingly, nobody had seemed eager to take the empty seat next to him.

Fine with him. He was happy enough looking out the window. The train kept passing all these little towns that looked just like Inaba, with the same low buildings and narrow streets. He'd even seen what looked like Junes stores in a couple of them, but that kind of figured.

Naoto had to have seen tons of places. Probably thought Inaba was stupid.

"Kanji Tatsumi?"

And he'd probably have to leave again soon, even though he'd only just started school. Detectives had to go where their cases were, right?

"Tatsumi, I apologize for disturbing you, but..."

...Wait. He knew that voice.

Kanji twisted round with a yelp, putting him in direct eye contact with a vaguely frustrated-looking Naoto Shirogane.

"Forgive the intrusion." He gestured to the space beside Kanji. "This seat is free, correct?"

"Uh," said Kanji.

"May I sit here?" Naoto clarified.

"Uh...y-yeah! 'Course." Kanji sat bolt upright, back pressed against his seat, and willed his nose not to start bleeding.

Naoto nodded, then sat down, tugged open the zipper on his bag and pulled out a yellow folder full of papers. Detective stuff, probably, though bringing work on a school trip seemed pretty weird.

They sat there in silence, which Kanji found seriously awkward even if Naoto didn't seem to care. He racked his brains to think of something to say - _what're you working on_ (like Kanji would understand it), _are you excited about the trip_ (of course he wouldn't be), _wanna hang out while we're there_ (probably the last thing he'd want), _do you_-

"Naoto-kun!"

Naoto froze, fist clenched tight around a sheet of paper.

Kanji turned to look behind him and spotted three giggling girls, pushing their way along the aisle between the rows of seats. They stopped right next to Naoto, and the tallest one leaned down to tap the brim of his cap. "Naoto-kun, why'd you run away? We just wanted to say hi!"

"Hello." Naoto shoved the paper back in the folder. "I believe that concludes matters."

Kanji heard the two girls behind whisper something about _their cute little prince_, and couldn't decide whether to laugh or tell them to get lost. Fine, Naoto was...cute. _Really _cute. Kanji could admit that, nothing wrong with it, other people thought so too. However, the guy was also terse to the point of being frosty and he'd done his best to piss off everyone in their year.

"You wanna hang out with us at Port Island?" The tall girl smiled. "I bet you've been there before, right?"

"As I have stated previously, I have no interest in such activities. Please leave me in peace." Naoto glared at the folder in his lap. "This casework is very pressing."

"Aw, c'mon, Naoto-kun! You could-"

One of the two girls in back - who Kanji thought might be in his class, not that he paid much attention - pushed forward and tugged at the taller girl's sleeve. "Megumi, we don't want to interrupt the Detective Prince, right? Now the killer's been caught, he's probably working on a new big case!"

At that, Naoto bristled.

For a moment, the taller girl looked uncertain - then she shrugged. "I guess. But we'll be back later, Naoto-kun, okay?"

All three girls turned and moved back along the carriage. The one who hadn't spoken waved to Naoto as she left.

Naoto sighed.

Girls were weird. Kanji glanced sideways at him. "They still chasing you?"

"Yes. I have dissuaded most of them but those three are very persistent. I left my previous seat to escape their attentions."

Oh. So _that _was why he'd come down here.

"They...uh, they don't mean no harm." Sure, they'd been slightly terrifying, but Kanji couldn't fault their reasoning. "They probably just like you."

"You cannot _like _someone without knowing them," Naoto muttered, and Kanji tried not to wince.

* * *

"Man...are all city hotels like this? And what's with the bed?" Kanji shifted backwards, trying to find a position where he wasn't at risk of rolling onto the floor.

"Wish I knew. This place is weird," Yosuke said, eyeing the bed (and Kanji) cautiously. "Wonder where Kashiwagi found it?"

"She said it was cheap." And he could see why, with a bed full of freaking _water_. The place probably saved money by skimping on mattresses.

"Maybe it's one of those theme hotels. What do you think, Souji?"

Souji coughed loudly into his pillow.

Across the room, Teddie poked his head out of his suit. "The place opposite is bear-y strange too." His brow furrowed. "I met so many odd people when I was climbing to the roof!"

Dammit, this bed was _useless_. No matter where Kanji moved, the stupid thing moved with him. He sat up with a grunt of disgust. "Screw this. I'm going to the vending machines. Want anything?"

The other three shook their heads.

"Cool. Back in a couple minutes."

* * *

The beds weren't the only weird thing about the hotel, of course. The lighting in the corridors was just as strange: dim and purple and enough to give Kanji a headache. Worse, he'd passed three vending machines now and none of them sold food. One had been selling drinks but nothing Kanji wanted, since he wasn't a fan of coffee. And he really couldn't understand why any hotel would need _two_ machines selling rubbers - or for that matter, why someone would want to buy them from a machine to begin with. The thought alone made heat rush to his face. Definitely not something he'd _ever _seen in Inaba.

...Something was really, really weird about this place. Reminded him of something he'd seen in a film; one that'd shown on television late at night and felt way too creepy for Kanji to watch the whole thing. All about old salarymen who got bored in the evenings and went off to...hotels that looked a lot like this.

Explained the bed, too.

Shit, all he wanted was a soda. He'd even take TaP. As he stomped further down the corridor, getting angrier with each step, he stormed straight into Naoto and almost knocked him to the floor.

Kanji jumped back. "Oh, crap! S-sorry, man."

Naoto flailed for a moment, then caught his balance. His back stiffened. "Kanji Tatsumi."

"You, uh, looking for a vending machine too?"

Naoto shook his head. "I am investigating this hotel. I am...uncertain why Ms. Kashiwagi chose these lodgings."

"I-I just want a soda," Kanji said. "Maybe some junk food. But the vending machines, they're - uh, weird."

Naoto had suddenly become fascinated with the floor. "You...do know what sort of hotel this is?"

Kanji had previously struggled to talk to Naoto about things as mundane as school, the weather, and reading books. A conversation about the finer points of love hotels might just kill them both. "N-no. No way. Wh-why would I?"

It was hard to tell under the lighting, but Naoto's cheeks seemed to change color. "Oh. Of course. Good night, Kanji." With that, he marched quickly down the corridor towards the stairwell.

* * *

**September 9th, 2011**

It was Kanji's first time in a nightclub, and he was already certain he didn't like them.

Flashing lights, bad music, seats that were way too uncomfortable - what was there to like? It didn't help that the three stooges had gotten drunk on thin air. Now Yukiko-senpai was cracking up and clinging all over Chie, Teddie was swaying like a boat, and Rise - hell, Rise practically had her head in Naoto's lap and Kanji couldn't even admit to himself how jealous he was.

Not that Naoto looked happy either - more scared shitless, and as out of place as a librarian at a biker rally. "Ah...Rise-san...I-I think you should-"

"Aw, Naoto-kun, yooouuu're blushing!" Rise threw her arms up, wrapping one round Naoto's shoulders and smacking him in the face with the other. "You are sooo cute!"

"Dude, this isn't fair!" Yosuke hissed. "Why does the pint-size get all the attention?"

Naoto made a very unhappy, very non-Naoto choking noise.

"Look, R-Rise," Kanji stammered out, "leave him alone, 'kay?"

Rise giggled, then threw back an arm and smacked Naoto in the head again. "Aw, Kanji-kun! Are you _jealous_?"

This set Yukiko off too - "Kanji-kun's jealoush!" - while Chie hissed and elbowed her in the ribs.

"No! No way!" Kanji swung round to Souji, mentally willing him to get up and distract Rise - because the girl had one hell of a thing for him, the whole team knew that - but he just sat rigid in his seat, eyes wide. _Sorry,_ he mouthed.

"Don't worry, Kanji!" Teddie tried to lean towards him but wound up tipping headfirst into his lap. "There's always a place for you in Teddie's heart!"

Kanji nobly responded by shoving Teddie back the other way and into Yukiko's shoulder. Yukiko herself was too busy giggling and wrapping her arms around Chie to notice. Naoto, meanwhile, was now practically moulding himself into his seat in an effort to squirm out of the death grip Rise had on his neck. "Rise-san, please! I'm really not-"  
_  
Really not into you_, Kanji finished in his head. _Not into you at all_. Meaning, he decided, that Naoto might be one of those guys who wasn't into girls at all, full stop, and maybe that meant he was into something else instead and-

'Kiiiinnng's Game!"

Rise was suddenly on her feet again and blabbing on about Kings and Queens or whatever, leaving Naoto fussing with the collar of his shirt. When Kanji caught his eye for a second, his cheeks turned just a little red.

...Not into girls, maybe?

By now, Rise had segued into a rant about her staff or something - Kanji really wasn't listening - while Chie was trying to grab her with one arm and hold down Yukiko with the other. "Rise! Sit down!"

Naturally, Rise didn't listen. "They're all moooorooons! They make me act like a ditz, call me Risette and stuff, and then they say I'm a kid..." She grinned, still bobbing gently from side to side. "I'm gonna play the King's Game now and ain't _no-one_ gonna stop me!" She swiveled round to Kanji. "Kanji-kun! Get the chopschticks ready!"

"What? Why me?"

The glare that Rise gave him provided an answer, as did the drinks coaster she hurled at his head. "The King's word is law! Chop-chop!"

Kanji muttered something unrepeatable, then stood up from his seat and went downstairs to the bar.

* * *

"C'mon, everyone draw!"

This game still made no sense, even after Yukiko's rambling explanation - and nobody except her and Rise seemed to know what the rules were.

Kanji sighed and pulled a chopstick from the glass on the table. No red mark. Next to him, Souji stared down at his own chopstick - also blank - and let out a breath.

A gasp came from his other side a split-second later, closely followed by Teddie jumping to his feet and almost falling over the table. "Teddie's is red! Red! Is Teddie the King?"

"Oh great," Yosuke muttered. "Doomed from the start."

Teddie grinned, swaying gently and waving a finger at the rest of the group. "I, the King, command thee to smooooch the King without delay!"

Wait, did Naoto have a chopstick? What number was it? Kanji leaned over, trying to see, but he would've had to climb over the table to get close enough. Teddie had better not pick him, that fuzzy little-

"Please God, grant me a girl! Number three!"

Everyone looked at their straw – except Naoto, who apparently hadn't picked one up. Kanji breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he looked down and saw the number on the end of his. Three.

He jumped to his feet. "Gyaah! Wait!"

"Kanji! So you _were _after my fuzzy fur!"

There was a blur of bright yellow and white, a squeak from Rise, Yukiko's unladylike snort of laughter - and Kanji fell hard to the floor, his head smacking against the edge of a nearby table, with Teddie's arms wrapped tightly round his waist.

* * *

It wound up taking both Souji _and _Chie to pull Teddie off. Yosuke contributed too, by laughing the whole time and making a deeply embarrassing situation even more so.

Things got worse still when Naoto knelt down next to Kanji while he was still sprawled on the floor. "Are you injured?"

Kanji tried to roll over, failed, and ended up scrabbling at the floor tiles. "No! No! I'm fine!" Crap, how much of that had Naoto seen? He was just _staring_ at him, one eyebrow slightly quirked (you'd have had to be looking closely, but Kanji usually was.)

Then he reached out his hand.

No way this tiny guy was gonna be able to pull him up, and even if he could, there was no way Kanji could hold his hand without bleeding all over his shirt. But hey, it was a nice gesture. "Uh, s'okay. I-I'm fine."

And he would've been, completely, if Naoto's fingers hadn't suddenly started running over his forehead and hair. "Whoa, _whoa_! N-Naoto, what're -"

"I would think that was obvious."

No, no, it really wasn't - because it was one thing to maybe kind of ask a dude out and another thing completely to start stroking his head in the middle of a nightclub. Sure, this was the city, but... "You can't - seriously, man, not here!"

"...You are right." Naoto glanced around the club, then gestured across the dancefloor. "The restroom, then."

"R-R-Restroom?"

With a quick, business-like nod, Naoto tugged at Kanji's sleeve and urged him to his feet. Kanji followed dumbly as Naoto led him around the edge of the dance-floor, desperately trying to ignore the catcall Rise made as they left. Naoto seemed oblivious to everything, Rise's shrieking included, and just kept pulling Kanji behind him until they were through the restroom door. Half-pulling, if Kanji was being honest. Naoto probably couldn't have dragged Souji's kid cousin, never mind him, which meant there was no way to even pretend he was fighting this.

The restroom was quiet, but it sure as hell wasn't clean - setting off all kinds of twitches in Kanji's head, because how could people let stuff get _dirty _like this? - and it definitely wasn't the place he'd imagined for his first...whatever this was gonna be. Whatever Naoto wanted. Whatever-

"Much better," Naoto said, staring up at the ceiling lights with his hands on his hips. "I'll be able to investigate more closely."

Kanji seriously had no idea what to make of that, so he settled for opening and closing his mouth a few times instead.

Eventually, he managed to speak. "So - uh -wh-what do we -"

Naoto pointed at the floor. "Kneel down, please."

Kanji blinked.

"Y-you want me to go first?" he choked out. "But I've never..."

For a moment, Naoto looked confused, then shook his head. "Tatsumi, there is blood on your forehead. I cannot check the severity of your injury if you do not kneel on the floor." He turned away and glared at the sink. "I am considerably shorter than you."

Oh. _Ohhh._

Kanji's hand flew to his forehead. It came away just a little wet. Damn, he must've hit that table hard.

And _damn_, he very nearly made a total idiot of himself.

Heat was already rushing to his cheeks. He quickly dropped to his knees in front of Naoto and tipped back his head. "Uh. Okay. H-here."

"Thank you. I believe the damage is minor, but all head wounds should be taken seriously." Naoto looked him in the eyes, studying him carefully. "You are flushed. Do you feel sick or dizzy?"

_No more than I usually do around you_, Kanji thought. "N-no. M'good."

Naoto hummed, then pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and began dabbing at the cut. "You should apply antiseptic when we return to the hotel."

Kanji had no answer beyond a nod.

The silence quickly became awkward, at least for him. But maybe this was a good time to...well, figure a few things out - and distract himself from the fact that Naoto Shirogane was actually _touching_ him.

He swallowed. "So, uh - d'you like Yukiko-senpai?"

Naoto stopped. "...What?"

"Yukiko Amagi. Y-y'think she's cute?" If a Yasogami High guy didn't go for Rise, he was probably chasing the Amagi challenge. Stood to reason.

Unless he was into something else completely.

A few moments passed before Naoto responded. "I really wouldn't know. I have no interest in such things."

"Not - even a little bit?"

"My work leaves little time for entanglements." His voice was firmer this time, though there was still an edge Kanji couldn't quite place. "But why did you ask? Are you pursuing Amagi-senpai?"

"N-no! No way! Just, guys go for her, that's all!"

Naoto's hands stopped again. "Oh. I - suppose they must."

Kanji swallowed. "But not me. I don't."

_At least, I don't think so._ Yukiko had been a friend when he was younger, before they'd drifted apart, and she'd always been pretty and nice. He could see why guys liked her, but...

Naoto didn't respond. Maybe he had nothing to say. Kanji was hoping for something, though - maybe, _that's good_ or even _neither do I_ -

"The cut has stopped bleeding," he said, pulling back. He frowned, hand on hip. "I suggest you show more caution in future."

"Wasn't my fault, man! It's Teddie, he was-"

The restroom door swung open.

Both Kanji and Naoto looked up. Standing at the far end of the room, wearing a smirk that made Kanji want to smack him in the teeth, was Yosuke Hanamura.

"Wow, Naoto-kun. You're _eager_." Yosuke turned to Kanji, still smirking. "First Teddie, now Naoto - you're a lucky guy, Kanji!"

Naoto looked puzzled. "Well, yes, he appears to have suffered no permanent damage, but..."

"I mean, dragging another guy into the restroom at a nightclub... just, _wow_, you know?"

Naoto frowned for a moment. Kanji swore he could hear the gears clicking inside his head - as a look of sheer horror slowly crept onto his face. "Oh. _Oh_."

"It - it ain't like that, okay?" Kanji managed, already realizing it was about the least convincing thing he'd ever said.

Naoto quickly moved away. "No, it really, really - Hanamura-senpai, I was just - Tatsumi might have been injured, and-" He glared at Kanji then Yosuke in turn. "I-I will be outside," he muttered, and marched out the bathroom door.  
_  
Great. _

Kanji scowled at Yosuke. "Dumbass."

Yosuke just grinned.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Story so far: The team ended up in a very strange hotel and an even stranger club where Rise and Yukiko got not-quite-inebriated, Naoto failed socially again, and Kanji had a close encounter of the uncomfortable kind._

_In this part: dealing with drunken teammates, a difficult conversation, and a impromptu shopping trip. Spoilers through September 9th.  
_

* * *

**September 8th, 2011**

"Where's Shenpai? He's...so aweshome!" Rise was slung over Kanji's left shoulder, voice ringing through the dark back alleys of the Port Island shopping district.

"I told you already, he's takin' back Teddie and Yukiko-senpai," Kanji muttered. "'Cause you're all idiots."

Actually, Chie was handling Yukiko. The idea was that they'd all head back to the hotel separately and avoid disturbing the teachers. Souji and Yosuke were wrestling with Teddie, who'd wanted to stay in the club all night and had to be dragged out by his ankles, leaving Kanji to carry Rise accompanied by Naoto, who was walking beside him, eyes hidden by the brim of his hat.

Kanji glanced sideways. "Hey...you okay, man?"

Naoto nodded, without looking up.

Poor guy. It was Yukiko's fault. She'd blabbed about everything: television world, Personas, Shadows, the works. Lucky she'd been too messed up for much of it to make sense. Naoto had just thought they were making fun of him, though, and he'd been even quieter than usual since.

Rise twisted against Kanji's back, her hands grabbing fistfuls of his shirt. "Aw...ish Naoto-kun down?"

"I am fine."

"I got something to make you feel better!" Rise tried to drop her voice to a whisper. It came out close to a yell. "I know a secret. Yoshuke-senpai told me."

Naoto sighed. "If it is similar to Yukiko-senpai's, I am not interested."

"No, no! It's a _gooood_ one, I promish," Rise slurred, ending with a giggle that turned into a hiccup. "Kanji-kun likes- -"

_Oh crap._

Kanji momentarily considered throwing Rise into the nearest trashcan. Instead, he scowled and snapped, "I d-don't like anything! Shut your mouth!"

Fortunately, she dissolved into another fit of giggles, while Naoto just looked blank or blanker than usual. "As discussed earlier," he said, with a small shake of his head, "we should take care to avoid the faculty on our arrival at the hotel. It will be very difficult to convince them that Rise-san is not truly inebriated."

Kanji's eyebrows jumped. "You...you were serious? About the bar not serving alcohol?"

"Yes. I have no idea what idiocy is affecting your friends," Naoto muttered darkly.

Kanji sighed. "Me neither."

* * *

Fortunately for them all, Rise had dozed off a few minutes before they reached the hotel, meaning it wouldn't be completely impossible for them to make it inside without anyone noticing.

"The building has a side entrance. I noticed it last night," Naoto told him. "It was open at the time, so it would be worth trying now. Follow me."

He still sounded kind of pissed, but he usually did, and at least he'd stopped glaring holes in the ground now. He led Kanji down an alleyway at the side of the hotel, towards a door propped open by a wooden crate. Inside, a set of metal stairs led up to the higher floors.

Kanji blinked. "Whoa, lucky."

"Not particularly. I would prefer that the management put some value on security." Naoto folded his arms. "But with such _clientele_..."

Definitely not getting into _that_ conversation. "D-Dunno what you mean. Just a hotel, right?"

Naoto instantly looked away. "...Never mind."

Thankfully, the conversation ended there. Carrying Rise up the stairs needed Kanji's full attention, especially when she woke up between the second and third floors. She squirmed against his shoulder, tangling one hand in his hair. "Kannnnji-kun...why're you..."

"He is carrying you back to your room, Rise-san. We will arrive there shortly. Please remain quiet."

Asking Rise to stay quiet for more than five seconds was like asking Kanji's ma to backflip up a mountain, or Teddie not to hit on every girl he met - and Kanji was grateful that her room (307, according to Naoto) was close to the stairwell. When they reached the door, he turned to Naoto. "You got her keys?"

"Yes, I took them from her back at the club." He pulled them from his shirt pocket, then quietly unlocked the door and pushed it open.

"Wait, wait! We can't go in there. Girls' room." Man, Naoto should've _known _that.

"I could-" Naoto started, then stopped. "...Well, obviously we cannot enter."

"So what do we do? Leave her out here?"

Naoto hesitated. "No, we should-"

"Guys! Hold up!"

Chie was jogging down the corridor toward them, a bottle of water in her hand. She stopped outside the door and pointed at Rise. "I just remembered you can't take her in her room, so I figured I'd come help." She waved the bottle. "And give her something to drink. I heard people get dehydrated when they're drunk."

Naoto's voice was flatter than ever. "She isn't drunk."

"Well, she's acting it. So was Yukiko!" Chie glared at him, one foot tapping against the floor. "C'mon, guys, I'm beat. Put her down and I'll take her in."

Kanji glanced over his shoulder. "Uh...I think she fell asleep again."

Chie let out an exasperated sigh, then leaned around him. "Rise! Wake up so I can put you to bed!"

With a quiet groan, Rise stirred against his back. "...Ch-Chiiie-shenpai? Hey...you're aweshome too!"

"_Jeez_, Rise. Okay, Kanji-kun, put her down. I'll take it from here."

With a little maneuvering, he managed to pull Rise off his shoulder and set her down in front of him, where Chie could hold her upright. At least, that was the idea. Rise, unfortunately, had other plans. She lurched to one side, away from both Chie and Kanji - and pitched directly towards Naoto.

Chie jerked forward, arms outstretched. "Uh-oh...grab her, Naoto-kun!"

Some hope. Rise was small, but Naoto...well, Naoto was tiny. No contest. The two of them hit the floor in a tangle, Rise with a squeal and Naoto with a sharp, unhappy squeak.

Kanji took half a step forward with his hands raised and absolutely no idea what to do with them. "N-Naoto! You you all right?"

Naoto made a thin, strangled noise from underneath Rise, who was sprawled over his front.

"Sh-shorry, Naoto-kun," she mumbled.

"R-Rise-san, please remove yourself from-"

"Okay, Rise, bedtime!" Chie slipped her hands under the other girl's arms and yanked her to her feet. "You've given these guys enough trouble for one night."

"Aw, Chie-shenpai, I gotta 'pologize to Naoto-kun!"

"No need," muttered Naoto, as he pulled himself into a sitting position. His hat had fallen off. It was the first time Kanji had seen him without it, and something looked a little..._off_, but he couldn't place what.

He bent down toward the smaller boy. "Uh...you okay?"

"Fine," Naoto said, cheeks flushed pink, pointedly not taking Kanji's proffered hand. "P-pass me my cap, please."

Rise was dangerously close to standing on it, so Kanji quickly grabbed the cap from under her feet and handed it to Naoto, who put it on and tugged the brim down further than usual. "Satonaka-senpai. Please take Rise inside."

"Yeah, on our way." Chie began to drag Rise into the room, ignoring her mumbled protests. "Come on, Rise, or I'm gonna kick you into bed!"

They disappeared through the door, and Kanji quickly closed it behind them. Naoto was glaring at the floor again, mouth a thin line.

"Uh. Th-Thanks for helpin' bring her back."

Naoto nodded stiffly. "You should return to your room now. You are sharing with Hanamura-senpai, Seta-senpai and your friend Teddie, correct?" He paused. "How did you engineer that?"

Kanji swallowed. Crap, the kid was on the ball. "T-the other guy they were sharing with dropped out last minute. So I figured it'd be okay. And Ted, he's he's just visiting, it's not like-"

"Don't worry. I will not inform the faculty members." Naoto let out a long breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "But you must understand, it seems suspicious that you are all-" Then he stopped short and looked Kanji in the eye. "I apologize, Kanji-kun. I am tired."

"You goin' back to your room too?"

"Later. I must ensure my roommates are asleep."

Sounded backwards to Kanji. Better to get there first and not wake them, right? But Naoto was smart, so he probably knew what he was doing. "You, uh, you want some company?"

Naoto shook his head. "No."

_Ouch_. Probably for the best, though. Kanji sucked at conversation and Naoto seemed even worse. He shifted from one leg to another, shoulders hunched. "Oh. Right. Well...g'night."

With a quick nod, Naoto turned to move away.

Shit, this wasn't right. First time the kid had hung out with them all and he had a crappy night. Kanji raised a hand. "Yo, Naoto...uh, wait a sec."

Naoto glanced back, one eyebrow arched. "Hmm?"

"That, that stuff you were saying back at the club. 'Bout your family and being a detective." Kanji swallowed, trying to force the heat from his face. "I-I thought it was cool."

And it was. Kinda badass, as well. Kanji wanted to ask more, except Naoto might think he was weird or worse, making fun again.

Naoto looked at him for a long moment, with an expression Kanji couldn't even begin to figure out, partly because it was making him horribly uncomfortable. Finally, he sighed. "I wasn't sure what else to say. I have no talent for jokes or anecdotes."

"S'okay. Y-you were just tryin' to make friends, right?"

Naoto bristled, the muscles in his narrow shoulders visibly tensing. "No. I am in Inaba solely to solve a murder case. And I know you and your colleagues are somehow involved. I simply thought that if I...if I was honest with you all, perhaps you would..." The sentence trailed off and he rubbed his nose again. "As I said, I am tired. I will see you tomorrow."

Then he turned and stalked down the hall - slightly slower than usual, his head tilted down.

With a sigh, Kanji walked back to the stairwell. Damn weird night all round.

* * *

**September 9th, 2011****  
**

Rise seemed just fine the next morning, as well as totally oblivious to everything that had happened the night before. Maybe she really _had _been drunk, although Kanji was more inclined to believe Naoto. _No surprise there_, he thought, and grimaced.

"Y'know, Kanji-kun, if the wind changes you'll stay that way." Rise poked him in the shoulder. "What's up?"

"Nothin'. Just don't wanna go shopping."

They had a few hours to kill before meeting the other students at the train station and Rise had insisted that she needed to go into town. For some reason she'd also insisted he needed to go with her and he hadn't been able to think of a decent excuse to get out of it.

"Oh, don't be like that, Kanji-kun. I wanna get a present for my grandma." She poked him again, this time in the ribs. "You should get something for your mother too."

He frowned. "You think?"

"Of course! She'll be amazed that you thought of it."

Except he hadn't. But he guessed Ma didn't need to know that. "Uh...what should I get her?"

"Well, how about-" Rise stopped short and hopped in place, waving a hand to her left. "Hey, Naoto-kun!"

_Naoto?_

Kanji snapped his head sideways. On the far side of the street, Naoto was leaning against a railing and staring out over the water. Couldn't see his face, but how many people in Port Island would be wearing a cap like that?

Rise tugged at Kanji's arm. "Let's go talk to him."

"Wha-aw, c'mon, we don't need to do that, he's probably busy thinking and-"

"Don't be _shy_, Kanji-kun. Besides, Naoto-kun's always so quiet." She gave a firm nod. "He needs to be brought out of his shell." Then she dashed through the parked cars and across the empty street. "Hey, Naoto-kun!"

Kanji followed in long strides behind her, sighing to himself and wishing he'd gone to the train station early.

At the sound of Rise's voice, Naoto turned around, one hand on his hip. "Rise-san. Kanji-kun. Good morning." His eyes narrowed. "You seem remarkably well, Rise-san."

Rise tipped her head. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Last night, you were..." He trailed off. "Well, I don't suppose it matters."

"I was what?"

Naoto took a deep breath. "Loud, hysterical and extremely difficult to handle."

Rise blinked.

"She don't remember," Kanji said with a shrug.

Naoto's only response was a flat stare.

"Wait a sec." Rise pressed two fingers to her lips, her brow furrowed. "I think I - oh man, Naoto-kun, was that you I fell on top"

"Irrelevant," muttered Naoto, and tugged down his cap.

"It was! I remember now!" When she grabbed his arm, Naoto immediately went stiff as a board. "I am _so_ sorry, Naoto-kun!"

He said nothing, instead staring at Rise's hand, gripped tight near his elbow.

Kanji tapped her on the shoulder. "Uh. Let him go, Rise."

"Oh. Right!" She pulled away and gave her brightest, most winning smile, freeing Naoto's arm to jerk straight back to his side. "Hey, are you out to buy souvenirs too?"

If possible, he looked even more impassive than usual. "For whom?"

"Well, you were talking about your grandfather before. How about him?

"There would be no purpose. Grampa has visited Port Island previously."

"But it's the thought that counts, right? Or maybe your parents would like something?"

Naoto looked away.

Rise raised her hands. "Okay, okay, no souvenirs. You wanna come with us, though? We're all heading out to get ramen later." She grinned. "I'll treat you."

He shook his head. "Rise-san, there's really no need to-"

"Of course there is. I want to make up for well, whatever I did last night. Falling on you, all that stuff." She wagged a finger. "No refusals!"

"But I-"

"I said, no refusals!"

Naoto turned to Kanji with a vaguely helpless expression.

All Kanji could do was shrug. To be honest, he was a little wary about the idea too. He'd spent more time around Naoto on this trip than in the whole time since they'd met, most if it awkward, and he _still_ couldn't figure out what he wanted or if Naoto even cared. But the past few months had taught him that resisting Rise was like fighting the ocean tide: tiring, pointless, and guaranteed to make you very pissed off very quickly.

"She ain't gonna take no for an answer," he said.

Naoto's fingers tugged at his shirt collar. "Very well."

* * *

As expected, Rise had taken way longer to pick out souvenirs than anyone ever should. Kanji swore she'd looked at everything in the store three times, whereas he'd picked out something in a couple minutes and Naoto had spent the whole time standing by the door and staring into the street. By the time they finally made to the ramen shop, not only was Kanji hungry and kind of pissed, the rest of the team had already ordered.

"Fin'lly! Figured y'weren't gonna schow," Chie mumbled through a mouthful of steak, ending on a wince as Yukiko poked her in the side.

Rise waved her plastic bag. "I had to go shopping! You can't rush that sort of thing, Chie-senpai."

The girls were all sitting at the bar, so Kanji headed for Souji's and Yosuke's table, then glanced back at the door. Naoto was standing in the entrance, staring across the shop with his eyebrows raised. Curious, Kanji followed his gaze which led directly to Teddie, sitting at the other end of the counter in his red and blue bear suit, shoveling noodles through the hole where his mouth would be.

Exactly why he was wearing the suit in public with the cook, the other customers and now Naoto all staring at him was beyond Kanji, but so was almost everything Teddie said and did.

Naoto shook his head and walked over to the counter, pausing by Kanji on the way. "Your friend is very peculiar," he muttered.

"Tell me 'bout it."

With a quiet sigh, Naoto shook his head again and hopped up onto the nearest stool. Kanji couldn't help noticing how much effort the jump took. Shortest kid his age he'd ever seen. When he turned back to the table, ready to sit down, Yosuke was smirking and giving him a sly thumbs-up. Kanji responded with a fierce scowl, and a mental note to kick Hanamura off the station platform before they caught the train back to Inaba.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Story so far: The school trip ended but not before Rise proved difficult when drunk, Kanji and Naoto spoke completely different languages, and Naoto chose not to wonder why Teddie wears a bear suit._

_In this part: Kanji can't talk about the weather, Yosuke learns not to run in corridors, and Naoto makes more than one appearance on television. Spoilers through September 14th.  
_

* * *

**September 9th, 2011**

As far as Kanji was concerned, Sundays weren't made to be spent indoors, especially when he'd spent hours cooped up on a train the previous afternoon. After answering all the questions his mother rattled off about the trip - carefully leaving out the parts involving bathrooms and not-quite-drunk schoolfriends - he'd finally managed to escape the store for a while and had headed out on a long walk.

He had a spot he liked to visit up on the big hill overlooking the whole town. Nothing special up there save the view, and this early in the morning, while everything was still damp, he figured he'd be the only person up there. This made finding Naoto at the top, leaning against the wooden fence and staring out over Inaba, kind of surprising and, as always, very uncomfortable.

Something was off in his expression, even more than usual, and Kanji's first impulse was turn around and try to make it back down the hill before Naoto looked up. Unfortunately, the chances of someone his size sneaking anywhere were slim to none, and Naoto noticed him almost immediately.

"Tatsumi," he said with a nod.

"Uh...hey."

Another conversation aborted after only two real words. Kanji spent the following awkward silence alternating between pretending to look over the town and shooting sideways glances at Naoto that he hoped the kid wouldn't notice.

"You... uh, enjoying the weather?" he finally asked, staring at the leaden grey clouds overhead and wishing he was better at small talk.

"Not particularly."

"Oh. Right."

...Man, this _sucked_. And it didn't make sense after they'd hung out so much on the trip. Sat next to each other on the way there, been to the nightclub - even if that had turned out kind of weird - then been dragged shopping with Rise the next day. Thinking about it, they'd been around each other nearly the whole time except for the visit to that fancy high school.

"That trip was kinda neat, right?" he said, only half intentionally.

Naoto just shifted forward to lean more heavily against the fence.

A day ago he'd been talking to Kanji just fine, if a little stilted. Now he couldn't say more than a sentence at a time and his whole demeanour was as cold as ice. Like two different people.

"Dammit, why're you-" Kanji started, then stopped and shoved his hands in his pockets. "What's wrong?"

When Naoto answered, his voice was flat and quiet. "None of you are willing to help."

"Help with what?"

"Nor are you willing to be honest. If you were-" He shook his head, and tugged at the collar of his shirt. "Personas, shadows, televisions. Diversionary nonsense."

_Just tell him what's up._ Not like Yukiko hadn't spilled it all already. But Naoto hadn't believed them last time - and hell, Kanji wouldn't have either, back in May. And even if Naoto trusted him now, there was no way of knowing that he wouldn't go to the police, who definitely wouldn't believe any of it but could still pull the team in for questioning. Kanji knew well enough how much time-wasting crap the average cop could devise when they wanted to keep someone at the station, even just to spook them.

Besides, none of it mattered now anyway. Mitsuo Kubo was behind bars. No need to get all hung up on this crap.

Kanji did his best to sound confident, though it didn't quite work. "It - it ain't like that, Naoto."

"Tatsumi." Naoto still wasn't looking at him, and when Kanji glanced down, his hands were clenched tight around the top bar of the fence. "What is your involvement in this matter?"

Telling the truth had always been Souji's call, not Kanji's. "N-Nothing. Yukiko-senpai, she, she was just messin' around. You saw how she was."

Naoto finally turned to face him. For a long moment, he just _stared _at Kanji - then turned away again in silence, and rested his elbows on the fence.

Kanji winced. "Look, Naoto - if y'need help with something - then I can, yeah? Just...not about this."

Naoto was still staring out over the town. He didn't answer, and Kanji stood there another half-minute, awkward and bewildered, before giving up and walking back down the hill.

* * *

**September 12th, 2011****  
**  
Ever since Souji and the others had brought him back, Kanji had been doing his best to help out at home, at least when he wasn't inside a television kicking shadow ass. Cleaning made a nice contrast to that stuff, anyway. Dusting, sweeping, wiping counters - or doing the dishes, like he was now - generally put him in a better mood. Which he sorely needed after stupid Naoto had blanked him in the first floor corridor three times that day.

He frowned, both at the wall and life in general, then pulled another plate from the sink and wiped it with the dishrag. Even in the kitchen he could still hear the faint sound of the television from the living room. Niteline again. Ma was crazy about that show.

"Kanji-chan! Come here, please."

"But Ma, I'm-"

"Yes, dear, I know. I just need to ask you a question."

Kanji put the plate down with a grunt and strode through the door. "Dammit, Ma, I'm in the middle of-"

He stopped a few feet into the living room. On the screen, sitting at a desk Niteline studio next to some asshole in a cheap-looking suit, was Naoto.

Ma gestured towards the television. "That's the Yasogami High uniform. Is that boy in your class?"

"N-no - he's in..." Kanji trailed off, scrunching up the dishrag in his hands. Why was Naoto on television? Had to be about the case - but this didn't seem like something he'd do, not after he'd done his best to avoid or push away almost everyone he'd met. Hell, he'd moved seats just to escape those girls on the train.

"Such a handsome boy," Ma chirped. "So well dressed, too! You ought to follow his example, Kanji-chan, don't think I haven't noticed you wearing your-"

Kanji waved the dishrag at her. "Shut up a minute!"  
_  
"It's true that our suspect was behind Mr Morooka's unfortunate death. But when I cast my eye over the case as a whole, I detect a few things that seem out of place."_

On screen, the interviewer suddenly fumbled with his script. _"Oh. Ah - l-like what?"  
_  
Naoto's voice was as smooth as ever. Being on television didn't seem to spook him at all. _"Unfortunately, I cannot divulge details at this time. But this matter claimed the lives of three people, hence I believe that even the smallest inconsistency must be examined."  
_  
Whoa. The cops weren't going to like _that_. From what Kanji understood, Naoto wasn't even working with them anymore - and there he was on a major television show, basically saying they'd gotten everything wrong.

The interviewer became even more flustered, stammering something about the police's official statement then flipped quickly through his papers. _"Now for our next segment, 'The Detective Prince's True Identity', where Naoto-kun tells us a little bit about himself."_

Kanji grunted. Good luck with _that_. The most they'd gotten out of Naoto was him talking about being a little kid, which had been pretty cool but hadn't told Kanji a thing about how to deal with him now.  
_  
"Amazingly, the Detective Prince has solved a whopping twenty-four cases. Sixteen of them were conducted alone, without the involvement of his famous grandfather. Shirogane-san, is living up to such an illustrious name a challenge?"_

_"I simply do my best. Many people adopt the careers of their families."_

_"But to investigate a series of murders so young... it must be traumatic for a child, correct?"  
_  
Even through the slightly fuzzy television picture, Kanji swore Naoto stiffened.

_"Not at all. The situation in Inaba is far from the first such case I have handled."_

_"What about your many admirers?"_ The interviewer was smirking now, one elbow resting on the desk._ "It's said you're a popular figure at your high school. Do you have anyone special in mind?"_

Kanji held his breath.  
_  
"The question is irrelevant. My work takes precedence."  
_  
...Irrelevant? Did that mean he did, or didn't, or didn't care? Maybe the interviewer would push it, try to make him-

"I've never seen you take such an interest in Niteline, Kanji-chan." Ma was blabbering right on top of the show. "But stop frowning, you'll get stuck like that."

"Shut it," Kanji muttered, and leaned closer to the television.

* * *

**September 13th, 2011**

Months ago, and after several unpleasantly long Important Talks, Kanji had made a solemn promise to Senpai that he'd show up at school more often. Every day, to be precise, and he was doing a pretty good job. Unfortunately, he hadn't yet mastered the art of showing up on time.

Dangerously close to being late for class - Senpai would find out somehow, he knew it - Kanji sprinted along the path to the school, through the gates, across the yard, into the main building and, rounding the corner of the first-floor corridor, crashed straight into Yosuke Hanamura and knocked them both to the floor.

Yosuke actually squeaked. Probably because he was bearing all of Kanji's weight. "Dammit, Kanji! Get off me!"

Kanji tried to pull himself up onto his knees, but Yosuke kept squirming. "Quit it, man!"

"Kanji-kun?" It was Yukiko, who'd just walked out of the restroom and stopped a few meters away, eyes wide. "Are you alright? And Yosuke?"

"Yukiko!" Yosuke finally rolled out from underneath Kanji and scrambled to his feet. "Oh, this is _so_ not what you think!"

"What would I think-"

"Nothin'," Kanji quickly said as he pulled himself up. Yosuke, meanwhile, squawked something about borrowing Souji's homework before class and took off down the corridor. "Uh...sorry, Yukiko-senpai."

"Why would you - oh, never mind." She shook her head. "I didn't see you on the way in. Did you wake up late again?"

"...Yeah." No point lying, least not to Yukiko. "I was up late." Mostly thinking about what he'd seen on Niteline, and how Naoto had managed to handle an entire interview without saying anything in particular.

Yukiko gave him a small smile. "Don't worry, I won't tell Souji."

"C-Cool, thanks. Hey, uh, you seen Naoto around? He he seemed upset the other day and then I saw him on Niteline last night and-"

"Oh! That's right, you wouldn't have..."

Kanji frowned. "Wouldn't have what?"

"Um, we saw Naoto-kun this morning. He wasn't in his school uniform. I'm a little worried about him." Yukiko dropped her voice almost to a whisper. "He said - well, he said a lot of things, but he definitely knows more than he let on."

It probably didn't work, but Kanji tried to lower his voice in turn. "You mean 'bout what we've been doing?"

"Yes. He thought one of us might be the killer."

"What? You're shi-you're kidding me!" Dammit, Yukiko was a lady. But did Naoto seriously think one of the team, the people he'd hung out with only a few days ago, had been _killing_ people?

"Well," Yukiko said, "when he explained it, it sounded quite plausible. But that doesn't matter, Kanji-kun, he said he'd already changed his mind." She winced. "I think he's figured out what we've _really_ been doing."

_Didn't help that you spilled it all in the club,_ Kanji almost said - then decided that if Yukiko-senpai didn't remember anything that happened that night, he definitely wasn't going to be the one to tell her. "You mean us rescuing each other?"

Her brows angled, and her eyes narrowed. "He said...what was it, now...that we were 'the only ones with the means to pursue the true perpetrator.' I understand that part. But then he said he needed more evidence."

"Thass all he's been doing since he got here. Asking questions, looking for evidence." Kanji grimaced. "And now, trying to solve stuff that's already solved. He ain't gonna find anything new with Kubo already in jail."

He figured he sounded confident, because he definitely _was_, but there was still a fairly long pause before Yukiko spoke.

"...You're right, Kanji-kun. I'm just..." She trailed off, then shook her head again. "Well, I'm sure Naoto-kun's sensible. He wouldn't be a detective otherwise, would he?"

* * *

Kanji spent the gap between each class looking for Naoto, as well as the lunch break: checking in his classroom, walking up to the roof, even waiting by the school gate in case he turned up late. He spent roughly the same amount of time trying to throw Rise off his tail, just so he wouldn't have to listen to her squeal about how totally adorable he was being - "Like a puppy, Kanji-kun, seriously!" - or waste time trying to convince her otherwise. In the end, none of it made a difference. Naoto didn't show.

He did, however, walk past Tatsumi Textiles much later that night.

It was pure luck that Kanji even noticed; he'd moved his sewing table under the window so the light would be better during the day, and he happened to be working there when Naoto passed by. It was dark enough outside that he would've been pissed off at Naoto for being out alone, if the murders hadn't already been solved and if he hadn't just spent an entire school day trying to find the guy.

He stood up, pushed open the window, and called out almost without thinking. "Yo, Naoto! Wait!"

Naoto stopped and glanced up, eyes wide under his cap - then immediately strode off again.

To his credit, Kanji didn't yell louder. That would've woken Ma. Instead, with the benefit of legs practically twice as long as Naoto's, he bolted downstairs, across the shop floor, and out the door into the street. He caught up with Naoto in moments and fell into a walk beside him.

A walk for Kanji, at any rate. For Naoto, whose jaw was clenched tight, it verged on a run. He didn't look up.

"Dammit, I was calling you!" Kanji snapped.

Naoto said nothing - and, on instinct, Kanji reached out and grabbed his shoulder with one hand. The first thing he noticed was the slight padding in the shoulder of the shirt: Naoto had to be smaller than he looked, which was saying something. The second thing was the way Naoto instantly smacked his hand aside and jerked away.

Good reflexes. One hell of a attitude, too. And it was almost exactly the same as last time he'd tried that, except now Naoto was glaring up at Kanji instead of hiding his face.

"Do _not_ do that again," he muttered, adjusting his shirt.

"You wouldn't stop!"

"You - I seem to encounter you every time I Naoto folded his arms over his chest and looked away. "I am positive there are other activities you could be pursuing, Tatsumi-san."

"Kanji. You called me that before."

"Tatsumi-san. Why are you following me?"

"You were walkin' past my house!"

"And you ran downstairs to meet me." Naoto leaned back, hand on hip. "I am simply returning from the police station. This is the most direct route to the bus stop."

"Thought the cops didn't want you 'round no more," Kanji said, rolling his shoulders in a half-assed attempt to relieve their tension.

Naoto bristled. "My professional affairs are none of your concern."

"But you didn't come to school." _Kanji_ was the guy that skipped school. Naoto was supposed to be the type of guy who'd freak at missing five minutes of class. "You sick or something?"

"No," he said flatly. "I simply wanted to check on a few things. Ensure matters are settled."

Far as Kanji was concerned, everything _was_ settled, and Naoto needed to get over it and come back to school and call him by the right damn name. He let out a grunt and ran a hand through his hair. "The case is over, Naoto, Kubo's in jail. You got to be on television and be the big man, and you-"

Naoto rounded on him, eyes blazing, fists clenched. "Do you _really _think that is why I'm still in Inaba?" He was way closer than normal _too _close. "That I, I went on that ridiculous show to-" He stopped short and jolted back, tugging angrily at his cap. "You must think I am-"

"That ain't it," Kanji mumbled, already knowing Naoto wouldn't believe him. "I just..."

Naoto glared at him. "Just _what_?"

"You - you're gonna come back to school tomorrow, right?" He looked down, brow furrowed, feeling increasingly desperate. "You can't keep missing it. S'posed to be the smart guy."

"I have no other option," Naoto muttered - and even under the dim streetlights, Kanji could see him stiffen again, his shoulders tensing and his jaw tightening. "I... trust I will see you again soon, Kanji."

When he walked away this time, Kanji didn't follow.

* * *

**September 14th, 2011**

Naoto hadn't come to school again. Kanji, in turn, had decided he didn't give a shit. Let the kid go sulk or whatever the hell he wanted. It'd been raining the whole day anyway, so it wasn't like Kanji was going to run around looking for him.

It was the rain that had made Souji-senpai insist that everyone check the Midnight Channel tonight, though the request seemed a little weird. Kubo was locked up. Wasn't like it would mean anything if anyone appeared. But Kanji made it a policy to go along with most everything Senpai said - he was smart, after all - and five minutes before midnight, just like always, he stood in front of the television.

The screen was small and the image was flickering, but there was definitely someone standing in the haze. Someone short and kinda skinny.

...was it Naoto?

Kanji shook his head. No way. Naoto was too smart to get himself kidnapped, even if he was stubborn as a mule. And it wouldn't mean anything if it _was_ him, because the killer was in jail, nobody else was going to get thrown in a television and the Midnight Channel didn't matter.

He waited for the image to fade, then flopped back down on his futon. It took over an hour of staring at the ceiling and not thinking about Naoto before he finally fell asleep.


	7. Interlude 1

_A/N: A jump sideways; Naoto awaits the inevitable._

* * *

Her watch lit up, then vibrated against her wrist. 19.00 hours.

The elapsed period of time between a subject's appearance on television and their absence first being noticed - whether immediately reported or not - was a rounded average of three days, and in all cases the disappearance had occurred in either the afternoon or evening. Even the hour of her television appearance had been selected to conform with those of the other victims. It was now a matter of waiting.

Naoto sat perched on the edge of her futon, toying distractedly with her tie and occasionally glancing at the open bedroom window.

There was no other choice. All other avenues had been explored. No matter how implausible, there was only one explanation for the choice of victims, and only one explanation for the safe return of the last four.

They should have been _honest_.

No matter. She was capable of doing this unassisted. If this 'investigation team - or whatever absurd moniker they'd assigned themselves - did not ensure her safety, she would escape the kidnapper on her own. Save Yamano, the other victims had all been children, and none had possessed Naoto's degree of expertise and experience.

She stood up and walked to the front room, cap clasped tightly in her hand. As always, the apartment was empty save for her. Hopefully the kidnapper would realize as much and feel confident in striking. She needed this to work.

Even the most incompetent investigator ought to realize that Kubo wasn't the killer. The crime scene was wrong, the cause of death was wrong, and he would have had no opportunity to ever meet Yamano. Naoto had informed the other detectives of this, repeatedly, and none had listened. The Inaba police force consisted entirely of idiots - and Ryotaro Dojima, the only member with any degree of insight, had agreed with her in private conversation then hung her out to dry in front of the superintendent.

_Don't rock the boat_, he'd said. In other words, surrender to the stupidity and apathy of her colleagues.

Dojima had seemed intelligent.

The only option now was to validate her theory directly. Kubo was in jail. Her kidnapping would prove that his sole crime was a bungled copycat killing. Naoto would obtain some evidence to the true killer's identity and modus operandi while awaiting the arrival of Seta and his friends, then present it to the police on her return. She might even apprehend him or her unassisted. Up until that point, Naoto had avoided thinking about the impossible third outcome, but even it held some comfort. A body hanging from a telephone pole would prove quite conclusive.

She'd begun pacing at some point, back and forth in front of the shelves opposite the sofa.

She was putting her faith in _children_. Amateurs playing games, pretending to be detectives, obscuring the facts - and somehow saving each other from the killer. Naoto had been trailing them since Kanji Tatsumi's safe return and was still no wiser as to their true involvement. They were a tight-knit group. She'd known that from the start and the trip to Port Island had confirmed it. It had also confirmed her complete ineptitude for socializing.

Naoto had remained calm and respectful throughout their impromptu meeting at the Escapade nightclub and had done her best to join in with conversation. She had sat through that ridiculous game, withstood Rise Kujikawa crawling on top of her and even attempted a mutual exchange of information. Revealing personal details should have inspired the others to provide a clear explanation of their involvement in the case - not a stream of hysterical nonsense from someone who Naoto had been led to believe was one of the most demure, upstanding young women in town.

Personas, television worlds, shadows. Absurd. They'd been laughing at her the entire time.

Tatsumi had been the only reasonable one there, Hanamura's crude misinterpretations notwithstanding, but his attempts at conversation had still been a transparent ploy to throw her off their trail. She'd been wise not to inform him of her plan. In any case, he wasn't crucial to the team. Naoto had observed their meetings at Junes on multiple occasions, and Tatsumi's attention had almost invariably been devoted to food. Seta was clearly the leader - and of a rather rag-tag group.

And yet they had managed to rescue each other on three occasions. Presumably they would be competent enough to decipher the reasons behind her behavior.

Hopefully they would notice she was gone.

...Of course they would. They _needed_ her.

Naoto paused at the far right of the shelves. Amid the many reference books and binders of papers stood a framed photograph of a slim, dark-suited man with salt and pepper hair. She glanced at the photo, then at her phone resting on the arm of the sofa.

Pointless. Grampa would only worry.

The doorbell rang: once, twice. Naoto almost jumped.

Would the kidnapper approach her so directly?

Her hand tightened around her cap as she walked to the front door - what she would've given for a peephole - and pushed down the handle. She took a deep breath, then pulled the door open revealing nothing outside save the empty hallway.

No visible movement at either end, no doors in the corridor left open, nobody standing by the elevators. Under any other circumstances, it could be construed as a prank. Naoto forced herself to turn away and walked inside without closing the door, expecting what followed even before she heard the footsteps at her back.

A strong arm grabbed her roughly from behind, snaring around her ribs tight enough to hurt, and a rag was shoved over her mouth. It smelled sweet - chloroform, much as she'd guessed. Despite this, her first deep, desperate breath came on instinct.

_Go limp_. _You planned for this._

She dropped as heavily as she could - not difficult, her legs were already turning numb - and kept her breaths as slight and infrequent as possible. Her heart was hammering rapid-fire in her chest, blood pounding in her ears, and she lashed out a feeble kick on instinct.

It didn't connect, and the person behind her only tightened their grip.

_Stay calm. Look at them. Are they male? Female?_

It was impossible. Everything was blurred. The rag was gone and arms were pushing her inside something dark and rough. A bag?

Naoto's head swam. The floor beneath her vanished and her breathing grew quicker, shallower.

_Stop panicking. Analyze. Memorize._

No voices. He was alone. Strong arms. Definitely male. Strong enough to carry her. The walk too, long strides. A door slammed hard somewhere behind them - or in front? Too hard to tell - and then another. Footsteps against concrete and the sound of another door, this one metallic. A jerk upwards, a swing back, a sudden weightless lurch - and the sensation of ice crawling over her skin. Why ice? Where did he - why -

Her head throbbed; reasoning became impossible. The last thing Naoto felt was the jolt as she hit the floor, hard enough to knock out what breath she had left, before the numbness finally won out.


	8. Chapter 7

_A/N: Story so far: Following the school trip, Naoto's mood shifted drastically, leading to more than one unpleasant encounter with Kanji and a figure appeared on the Midnight Channel.  
_

_In this (long) part: Naoto becomes a regular on television, Kanji freaks, and Chie voices the virtues of beef bowls. Spoilers through September 16th.  
_

_Note: Two parts were posted at once: this one and an intermission with Naoto (access the latter via the drop down box). The site had some sort of breakdown and kept removing the new chapters after upload; very sorry if you fine people on alert received a dozen emails.  
_

* * *

**September 15th, 2011  
**  
Whoever it was, they'd _looked _like Naoto. Kanji felt like he should've been able to tell for certain, but the picture had been way too fuzzy - and why would Naoto have been on the Midnight Channel anyway? Kubo was locked up.

None of it made sense. Maybe the Channel had always showed people and Kubo had just started following it. Souji would probably be able figure it out, or Naoto himself, but Kanji just felt confused - and, not for the first time, a little inadequate. And now Naoto wasn't bothering to show up to class at all. Was he just pissed off and sulking?

Still raining, too.

"Kanji?"

Kanji nearly jumped. "Huh... ? Whassup?"

"C'mon, get with the program!" Yosuke rolled his eyes. "You saw the TV last night, right?"

Dumb Hanamura, acting like the Channel was a problem. Which it definitely wasn't. "So? Got nothing to do with us. Killer's behind bars." Kanji nodded firmly. "That shit Naoto said didn't make any sense either, so there's no use getting worked up about it."

Everyone stared.

Yukiko frowned. "Naoto-kun? When were we talking about him?"

"We weren't," Senpai said, one eyebrow raised.

Kanji's first impulse was to ask _why the hell not_. Instead, he launched into the best cover he could manage: rubbing the back of his neck and stammering. "Uh, no, well - h-how do I put it?"

Yosuke rocked back on one heel against the desk, his lips curling into a smirk. "What, were you outta it 'cause you were still thinking about what Naoto said? Dude, I can't believe you're still hung up on all that stuff!"

"I ain't hung up on it!" What, he couldn't even _think _about Naoto without getting ragged on?

"_Yosuke_." Senpai said it the same way Ma would, elbowing Yosuke in the side for emphasis.

It made no difference. "It's okay! We all understand," Yosuke crowed, then winked. "Just don't go overboard, man."

"Dammit, I said that's not it!" Hell, it wasn't worth bothering; Hanamura was and would always be an asshole. Kanji grunted and turned away. "Screw this, I got stuff to do. I'm outta here." With that, he stormed out the classroom door, leaving Chie to start scolding Yosuke as he strode away down the corridor.

* * *

What he hadn't mentioned was that 'stuff to do' involved trying to get hold of Naoto, just to make sure everything was okay. Yosuke would've just given him even more crap over it, and it was a stupid thing to waste time on anyway, given everything was just fine. The rain was hammering against the corridor window and the sky outside was steel grey; if Naoto had any sense, he'd be hanging out at home and keeping dry.

Kanji flipped open his cellphone - then paused. Didn't have Naoto's number. Didn't have his address either. How the hell was he supposed to contact him?

Dumb kid. Getting him all worked up over nothing. Kanji cursed out loud, earning a disapproving glare from a nearby third year, and shoved the phone back in his pocket.  
**  
**

* * *

He'd cracked in the end. Skipped history class to run home in the rain, caught the bus to the cop shop, then walked right up to the front doors, ready to kick the ass of the first person he saw unless they told him where Naoto was.

Lucky for him, Souji's uncle had been outside smoking. He'd told Kanji to stay away from the police station if he knew what was good for him - and no, Shirogane hadn't been there since two nights ago. Figured, since the cops had pushed Naoto out months back. But that didn't explain what he'd meant by 'settling matters'. Phrased like that, it sounded like he was going away somewhere.

New case, probably. That made sense. Kind of shitty of him to not tell anyone, but that was basically Naoto.

Stuck walking home in a torrential rainstorm - in his rush, he'd only brought enough money for a one-way bus fare - and drenched to his skin, Kanji decided that the next time he saw Naoto, he'd definitely give the kid a piece of his mind.

* * *

"I know you like long walks, Kanji-kun, but what possessed you to go for one in a rainstorm?"

Kanji shrugged, dripping even more water onto the living room floor in the process. Dammit, he'd have to mop later. "Sorry, Ma."

Ma had been clucking unhappily since the moment he'd walked through the door. "You'll catch your death! Here, use another towel."

"I got two already! S'just gonna be more laundry."

Ma ignored him. "Make sure you take a warm shower too. And don't stay up too late! It's already ten."

Two hours till midnight. Senpai had told all of them to make certain they watched this time, like he had a feeling something was up.

"Kanji-kun? Are you listening?"

"Y-Yeah, Ma. I won't." Kanji walked over to the stairs, two white towels over his shoulder and a third on his head. "I'm gonna watch some television first."

He hadn't lied, either he just hadn't mentioned to Ma that he wasn't gonna turn the TV on first. By half-eleven, Kanji was sitting on the floor in front of his small television, feeling considerably less confident than last time.

Stupid damn kid.

* * *

At midnight exactly, the television buzzed and whistled into life, the static quickly resolving into an image. A person.

Kanji had only seen two of these before but he swore the picture now was clearer than ever. And it was Naoto.

He jumped to his feet, cursing under his breath.

Naoto looked the same as always, except he was dressed in a white robe - a lab coat, maybe? - that looked about five sizes too big, the sleeves flapping over his hands. And flapping was the right word, because he kept twirling them around and he was standing all wrong. Behind him... Kanji couldn't see that well, but it looked like a table and a bunch of metal hanging from the ceiling. The spiked shape on the far right might've been a giant drill.

Kubo was locked up. Why the hell was this happening?

_"Good evening, everyone. I am the Detective Prince, Naoto Shirogane!"_

If the stance was wrong, the voice was worse. It wasn't Naoto's. Kanji had seen this late-night B-movie once: a lantern-jawed hero had been rushing around a secret base inside a volcano, trying to rescue his girlfriend from this crazy, over-the-top scientist guy. Naoto was talking just like that. Rise had sounded weird too, doubled in pitch and verging on hysterical, and this had the same edge.

The camera zoomed in on Naoto and he was smiling_._

_"Welcome to 'Experiment of the Century: The Genome Project.'"_ Naoto grinned wider, his eyes bright and his arms making wild gestures. _"I will be experimentor and experimentee both, in a forbidden yet wonderful bodily alteration process!"_

Body alteration? What the hell did that mean? Was he gonna experiment on someone? Was that what the drill was for?

Shit, this was wrong. Kanji's Shadow couldn't have been this bad. Skipping around a bathhouse was a hell of a lot better than chopping people up. Chopping _Naoto _up.

Naoto twirled again. He was moving differently: more exaggerated and relaxed, like he wasn't trying to lock everything down._ "You shall witness my departure into a new realm,"_ he trilled. _"The moment of a new birth!"_

Man, B-movie was right. Talk about hamming it up.

...No, Naoto was in trouble. Had to focus. Shadows represented their owners, right? Or some part of them they didn't want to admit? Far as Kanji knew, his own had wanted to go camp it up in a bathhouse for reasons he generally preferred not to think about, and Rise's had wanted to freaking strip in front of a live audience because she'd thought that was how people saw Risette.

_"From the chosen day forth, I shall walk a completely different path in life!"_ The camera zoomed out again. Naoto waved his arms, white cloth billowing around him. _"And I will share this glorious occasion, this memorable day, with all of you!"_

What did this guy say about Naoto?

_"Do stay tuned!"_ With that, the static faded to black. Kanji stayed standing in front of the television, breathing hard.

Holy_ shit. _He hadn't taken Naoto seriously. Back at Port Island, up on the hill, when they met in the street, Kanji hadn't told him what was going on, hadn't even figured out what he was planning to-

He dialed Souji's number almost on autopilot.

_"Kanji, I-"_

"Hey! Izzat you, Senpai? N-Naoto was just - h-he-" Kanji'd never been a good speaker, and right now it was word soup.

_"I know, it's-"_

"So does this mean he was kidnapped? You said people only show up clearly on TV after they've been thrown in, right?" Meaning Naoto was already in there, had maybe been in there since he quit coming to school. "The hell's going on? I-I thought we caught the damn killer!

Souji's voice was like granite. _"Kanji. Calm down."_

"Crap, s-sorry, Senpai. It's just-"

_"I know. But I need you to keep your temper."_

"Y-Yeah. Sorry." Damn, Kanji was supposed to be better than this. Senpai had talked him about that stuff a couple times, convinced him to stop lashing out, and now he was throwing his weight around just like before. He winced. "S'just... being a detective, solving cases, none of it's worth shit if he gets himself kidnapped, y'know?"

_"Naoto's more reckless than I thought._" Souji let out a breath. "_I should've seen this coming."_

Kanji had started pacing around the room. "Damn, that idiot pisses me off! We'll have to get everyone together and go get him before he"

_"Good idea. But we can't do anything until tomorrow, understand?"  
_  
What?

No way, they couldn't leave Naoto in there all night, what if he... "But that's-!"

_"Kanji."_

... Souji was the smart one. Smarter than Naoto, that was for sure. Kanji swallowed. "Y-Yeah. Got it, Senpai."

"_Okay, Kanji. Talk to you tomorrow_." The phone clicked as Souji hung up.

Kanji's first impulse and one he was deeply ashamed of was to throw the phone against the wall, storm out of the shop, and find something to break.

But that wasn't him, not really. Just one messed-up part. He could and would do better, keep his shit together and help Naoto out. After that, never mind a piece of his damn mind - he'd pull a Chie and kick the kid into space.

* * *

**September 16th, 2011**

Going to school was about the last thing he wanted to do, especially since he hadn't slept more than an hour all night. Kanji had seriously considered playing hooky and going in the television by himself - but without Teddie he wouldn't be able to get back. Even if he somehow did, Senpai would bitch him out for hours afterward.

It just didn't feel right to sit around in class knowing Naoto was stuck in there. It'd been bad enough with Rise, but Naoto... Naoto was different.

He stormed down the corridor for the fifth time that break period, past his classroom and by the shoe lockers - where he paused. Two first-year girls were standing in front of Naoto's locker, both holding yellow envelopes and giggling quietly. More letters. They didn't even know Naoto.

Kanji didn't either.

"Hey, Kanji-kun." It was Rise, standing at his side and tugging distractedly at his shirt.

"... S'up."

Her eyes followed his gaze towards the lockers. "Oh. I forgot, Naoto gets them too." She shook her head. "I'm used to it, but I think he's too shy."

"Yeah."

She nodded. Her voice was different: as tired and quiet as when they'd first met. "You saw it last night, right?"

The best Kanji could manage was a nod. The girls slipped the two envelopes in next to Naoto's indoor shoes, then darted off the other way down the corridor, one clutching the other's arm and both still giggling.

Rise's hand was still on his shirt. "Naoto's gonna be fine. He has to be." She looked away. "Kanji-kun, it's all my-"

The bell rang for class, and she jerked back. "Oh... I, I have to go. I'll talk to you later. After school."

Kanji glanced down at her. The smile he tried didn't quite work. "Yeah."

* * *

Chie rocked back in her chair, kicking the legs. "C'mon guys. Cheer up. We'll do this." She swung round to Teddie. "What's the verdict, Teddie? Is Naoto-kun really in there?"

Teddie nodded. "I do smell someone."

"It's just like before." Yosuke let out a sigh, then grimaced. "Nothing's changed!"

Nothing was right. They'd been idiots, all of them, they hadn't taken Naoto seriously and now he was-

With a gasp, Yukiko jolted forward. "Of course! That's why Naoto-kun appeared on the news so suddenly!"

Everyone turned to look, even Kanji. An outburst like that just wasn't Yukiko, and her eyes were bright as she leaned forward towards the group. "He said something didn't seem right, and that he wasn't convinced." Her fingers gripped the table's edge. "And he also believed that the people who are kidnapped appear on TV first, right?"

Kanji blinked. Hold on. Was that what Naoto had meant by 'arrangements'? Getting himself ready to...

Yosuke's jaw dropped. "Wait, wait - you're saying he's using himself as bait?"

Though he looked calm as ever, Souji's voice was tight. "We came to the same conclusion he did, and now he's trying to prove his theory." He shook his head. "No way would the police have believed him."

"And we never 'fessed up." Kanji muttered. They could've _stopped_ this.

"So you mean he got kidnapped on purpose?" Chie's hand smacked against the arm of her chair. "That's crazy! He could be killed!"

This was exactly the thought that had kept Kanji awake all night, no matter how hard he'd tried to push it out his head. He'd kept imagining how Saki had been found, hanging limp from a telephone pole - except it wasn't Saki he'd seen.

Rise's voice, quiet as it was, cut directly over his thoughts. Probably _because_ it was still so quiet. "He said, 'This is not a game for me either' ..." She stared down at her hands, biting her lip. "It's all my fault, guys. I'm the one who said that to him."

Trying to prove his theory. Trying to prove he was a real detective or whatever crap he had knocking around in his head. And shit, it wasn't even just Rise's fault, or Souji's. Everyone was to blame - especially Naoto. Kanji leapt up and slammed his hands down on the table, jolting the metal and almost knocking over half the drinks. "That idiot! Why the hell didn't he just tell us!" Him and Naoto, they'd talked. Right before he vanished. All it would've taken was a few words and Kanji could have help-

Which was exactly what Naoto had said up on the hill. Nobody wanting to help him.

"He knew we'd stop him if he did," Yosuke said, grabbing his drink to steady it. "Instead he left us clues so we could figure it out and-"

"I know! That son of a... "

"B-But - what about Kubo?" Chie rocked back in her chair again, eyebrows angled in confusion. "He did kill King Moron, right?"

"Don't matter," Kanji muttered, as he sat back down.

Souji shot him a reproving look. "It does, Kanji. And yeah, Kubo did. But that's all."

"I get it now! I remember Naoto-kun mentioning this!" Yukiko piped up again, just as firmly as before. "He said it was strange that the police were able to identify the cause of Mr. Morooka's death!"

"Then is King Moron the only one Kubo killed?" Yosuke blinked. "That'd explain why there were no signs of him being thrown into the TV!"

Souji nodded. "The killer didn't change their methods for King Moron. It just seemed that way because it was done by someone else." He winced. "We should've realized."

More like they should've _listened_. Naoto had figured this out and they'd ignored him, just so they could believe they'd won. Sat around congratulating themselves all summer. Stupid.

"But why would Kubo take the blame for someone else's crimes?" Chie arched an eyebrow. "Isn't that weird?"

"Maybe he wanted the attention," Souji said with a shrug.

"I guess. There's something else that's been bothering me, but-"

Forget this. Sitting making up theories ideas - those were what had gotten Naoto into this mess, but at least _he'd _acted on them. Kanji jumped up again, fists clenched. "To hell with someone who's behind bars! If we don't get off our asses, that stupid Naoto's gonna die in there! We gotta go find him!"

Everyone stared at him for a moment - then nodded.

"Kanji's right." Souji stood from his chair. "Let's head inside."

* * *

Yosuke had been jumpier than usual about going in the television. He tapped his foot against the black and white floor of the lot, twirling a knife in his left hand. "One of these days, they're gonna catch us. My parents will kill me."

Sat on the floor with his hands on his knees, Souji sighed. "I think we'd have bigger problems than that. Any luck, Rise?"

Himiko was shimmering behind Rise, slim hands holding the visor over her eyes. "Someone's definitely in here - and the world's grown larger."

"That's amazing, Rise-chan!" Teddie chirped. "There's no way my nose can pick up that much. Shall I give you a massage?"

If the bear had eyebrows, he'd have been waggling them. Kanji grunted and kicked at the floor. In turn, Yukiko snorted, Chie groaned and Yosuke snapped, "Don't bother her, Ted!"

"Doesn't matter, Yosuke-senpai. I know Naoto-kun's here, but I can't tell where." Rise let out a sigh. "I need something that'll help me understand him. Without that, I've got no idea which way I should look."

"The same thing I needed with Rise-chan and Kanji," Teddie said with a nod. "Clues!"

What did they have to go on? A couple of sentences at a nightclub, a few meetings over the summer and half-a-month of strange behavior at school. Kanji winced, feeling suddenly sick. "Dammit... there's too much we don't know about that kid. But if we don't do something, he's gonna-"

The rest was cut off by a sharp elbow to his ribs. "Hey! Snap out of it!" Chie insisted. "This is just like all the other times. We don't panic, we keep an eye on the weather, and do this like always. We'll save him, no problem!"

Chie was almost always the optimist, and Kanji tended to follow her - the two bruisers giving all the thinkers a mental kick in the ass. This time, he just couldn't feel it. "I-I know. I-I wasn't panicking," he mumbled. "We know he's here. So all we gotta do is get him out."

Himiko vanished, and Rise stepped forward, her shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry I couldn't find him." She tried for a smile, but it looked weak and wrong. "Some scanner, huh?"

Souji pulled himself to his feet. "You did fine. We've had the same problem with everyone after Yukiko."

"And I think I only worked because you had Chie," Yukiko pointed out.

"All I need is some kind of hint to help me understand him better," Rise said. "Then I could find him for sure!"

Hands on hips, Chie nodded firmly. "Then let's go back out and figure out what we've got."

* * *

By the time they reached the food court again, the light was fading and most of the customers had left. Chie flopped down in her chair and leaned forward over the table. "Okay, guys. What do we know about Naoto-kun?"

Everyone sat in silence.

"He's a detective," Yukiko eventually offered. "And he can't get on with anyone at school."

"Kills a conversation stone dead," Yosuke added, folding his arms.

Rise groaned. "Guys, this isn't helping. I need something more." She paused. "Kanji and I hung out with him in Port Island, but he didn't really say anything unusual."

Kanji'd probably spent more time around Naoto more than anyone, but what he had might not help and he'd take crap from the others for it. Especially Yosuke.

... To hell with it. About time he stopped fussing about what people thought. "He likes detective novels," he muttered, willing himself not to blush. "And he hates attention from the girls at school. Says they don't know him."

"How'd you find _that_ out?" Yosuke asked, eyebrows arched.

Thankfully, Rise stepped in. "Anything else, Kanji-kun?"

"We got that stuff he told us back at the nightclub. 'Bout his family."

Yukiko frowned. "I don't remember _that_."

"Didn't think so," Souji said, with a small smile.

"Oh yeah! And there's the bathroom." Yosuke smirked. "Remember, Kanji?"

"You _want _me to beat the shit outta you?" Hell, if Kanji had his way, he'd take that information to his grave and so would Yosuke - only much sooner.

But - if it'd help Naoto...

Teddie shook his head. "No, no. We need something different. We need to know what's bothering Naoto most. It was just like that when I used my nose to find you, Kanji, and Yosuke said you were totally-"

Yosuke lunged forward and grabbed hold of one small blue ear. "Okay, Ted! Enough!"

"Ow! Yosuke, stop that!"

Forget it. This was important. Kanji's hand moved to the back of his neck. "He - fusses about the case a bunch. Got upset over it a few days back."

"He does talk about it a lot." Yukiko sounded thoughtful. "And didn't he do all this to prove his theory?"

"Guys, a lot of this is just theorizing," said Rise. "I need information from someone who knows him, or maybe who's worked with him." She winced. "Naoto's a difficult one."

"Then we need to go ask around." Yosuke shrugged. "_Someone _in this town's gotta know something about him."  
**  
**

* * *

Kanji was the first one out the main door of Junes. "So, where do we go first?"

"Home," Souji told him. "It's almost dark."

There were already lights in the windows across the street. Some of the shops looked like they'd closed too. But that didn't mean they had to quit - wasn't like they were afraid of the dark. "Why can't we go ask around now?"

Souji shook his head. "It's late, Kanji. I have to go make sure Nanako's in bed."

Yosuke was leaning against the window, the lights of the Junes lobby glowing behind him. "And I've got a night shift to start."

After that, the excuses just flowed: Yukiko said something about a group reservation at the inn and Rise followed it up with some spiel about helping her grandmother close up the shop. "You ought to help your mother too, Kanji-kun," she said, waving a finger.

"She ain't stuck inside a TV!" Kanji snapped. Bunch of frickin' lightweights.

Chie's hand landed heavily on his back. "Hey, I can help." She smiled. "Got a little longer before my parents send out the search party."

She'd caught him off guard. Kanji blinked. "Uh - thanks."

"Fine, fine. Just don't get into trouble." Souji frowned at them both. "And try not to get anybody mad. We need all the help we can get."

"As if we ever would!" Chie chirped.

Teddie stepped forward. "I'll help too! A dark and starry night, spent alone with Chie-chan!" He glanced at Kanji. "Well, almost."

For the second time that day, Yosuke latched on to an ear. "No way! I'm only working tonight because you screwed up last shift, you can bet you're helping me!"

As he dragged a protesting Teddie indoors, everyone else began to filter away - Yukiko murmuring an apology, Rise giving Kanji a firm warning, and Souji ambling off in silence.

"Man, Souji doesn't trust us." Chie winked up at Kanji. "We can do this without breaking too many heads, right?"  
**  
**

* * *

"You really think the owner might know something?"

Kanji shrugged. "Naoto likes books. I saw him standing outside the bookshop in the summer. Maybe he bought stuff."

"Figures someone smart would go for books." Chie hummed. "Yukiko's just the same - though most of hers have big beefy guys with long hair on the front," she added, with a roll of her eyes.

When they reached the shop, the owner was outside locking up for the night. Kanji nodded to Chie - it was better that she handled this. He still didn't have that great a grasp on his temper. She returned the nod, then jogged over to the man standing by the door. "Hey! Do you have a moment?"

The man looked up. Even in the dim streetlights, Kanji could tell he was fairly young - or at least too young to be fussing with books. "Who are you?" He peered at Kanji. "Oh, I know you! Tatsumi-san's son, yes?"

Damn, seemed like everyone in the district knew his mother. Wasn't always a good thing. "Yeah, thass me. Y-You got time to help us out?"

He stepped closer. "Depends. What's up?"

"We're looking for someone," Chie said. "Naoto Shirogane, the Detective Prince, he was on TV a few nights back. He walks around here a lot."

"Can't say I've heard the name. I'm not a big fan of television shows. What does he look like?"

"Real small. Dark hair. Always wears a cap." Kanji had to stop himself from adding something about Naoto's eyes.

"Ah, I _have_ seen him, then." The man frowned. "He stands outside my shop. Never buys anything."

"Oh. S-So I guess y'never talked to him?"

"No. He's never even been inside the store." The man shrugged. "Sorry."

Chie smiled. "No problem! Thanks for your help." She grabbed Kanji's arm and tugged hard. "We'll be going now."

Checking with the bookshop had been Kanji's best idea so far. The only other places Naoto went were school and the police station - and the cops liked him about as much as he liked the other students.

They'd never find what they needed. Kanji launched a kick at the ground as he walked, desperately wishing he could go back to that Sunday on the hill and listen to what Naoto had really been trying to say.

"Hey, don't worry." Chie poked him in the side again, this time more gently. "We'll figure something else out. This was just our first try."

They couldn't afford many more, not with Naoto stuck in there by himself. Kanji's memories of his first time in the TV were hazy but a few things stuck out: his Shadow, all that steam, and how totally shit-scared he'd felt.

His jaw tightened._ Keep it together_. Rise had been fine, and so had that asshole Kubo.

"S'good of you to help," he told Chie. "I - I didn't mean to get so riled at everyone."

She shrugged. "It's okay. You're kinda attached to Naoto-kun."

"Wh-What's that s'posed to mean?"

"Well - when we saw you. Back in May." Chie's expression was pitched somewhere between a smile and a wince. "And, and you like - well, he's a boy, and-"

This wasn't going anywhere good. "It ain't like that!"

She cringed. "Um, yeah. Of course not. But you hung out on the school trip, too, and you're in the same year."

"Yeah. And I don't know nothing about him," Kanji muttered, gaze dropping to the ground. "Can't get him outta there."

"Hey! Don't think like that." When he looked up, Chie was shooting him a glare that would've been terrifying if he hadn't felt so messed up. "We're gonna get him out." Her expression softened. "C'mon. I'll treat you to Aiya. I'm starving."

Kanji scowled. "Not hungry."

"Liar. I've seen how much you eat at Junes." She smiled again, though it still looked a little forced, and grabbed his sleeve. "Beef bowls help with thinking, right?"


	9. Chapter 8

_A/N: Story so far: Naoto's Shadow made its debut appearance, but the team soon realize they have a lot to learn about the Detective Prince.  
_

_In this (again, quite long) part: Kanji makes a resolution, Rise meets Naoto's biggest fan, and Yukiko is less than appropriate. Spoilers through September 18th and for Rise's S-Link. There may be a little delay between this part and the next due to time constraints, but nothing too long. A few liberties are taken with the sequence of events here, just to add some variety. Hope the pacing is okay on this; I realize game time is passing quite slowly.  
_

* * *

**September 17th, 2011**

For the first time in years, Kanji woke up for school early - by a whole half-hour. This was followed by five minutes of sitting on his futon mattress wishing they didn't have to go at all; that for just once Senpai would see the merits in skipping out. Zero chance of that. With Kubo, with Rise, probably even with Kanji himself, Souji had always stuck to the same schedule. Sometimes Kanji wondered if that was how he kept things going.

At least they'd be able to ask around at school. Given that Naoto had either brushed off or ignored almost everyone there, Kanji was willing to bet it wouldn't help, but he was out of other ideas. And it was Saturday too, so they could hit up the town in the afternoon. Somebody had to have heard _something_.

He stood up, stretched, then reached for his cellphone on the side table. Maybe he could call Senpai and ask him to come in early too; he'd probably have way more luck asking other kids. Everyone liked him, even the jocks and the third years.

_NEW TEXT MESSAGE  
_

Puzzled, Kanji pushed the button to pull up the message. Rise's number appeared at the top of the screen.

_hey kanji-kun can i walk in w/u 2day?_

Rise had texted him many times before, typically to remind him to get his ass to school on time or to show up for a team meeting at Junes. The messages always had a bunch of weird characters in them, stuff Kanji couldn't even find on the damn keypad, and he'd end up holding the phone at arm's length trying figure out whatever emotion, action or object Rise was trying to convey. This time, she'd skipped all that stuff completely.

She'd also never asked to walk in with him before. Kanji frowned, then started tapping at the keys._  
_

_No probs be there in 15_

He'd have to hurry it up to be ready on time. Needed to make sure he looked smart today; it might convince people to talk to him.

**

* * *

**

By the time he made it to the tofu store, Rise was already outside, one hand holding her bookbag and the other clutching the opposite shoulder. "Hey, Kanji-kun," she called, then smiled, but there wasn't much feeling in it. "Did you find anything out last night?"

Kanji shrugged. "Nope."

Her grip on her shoulder tightened, fingers pressing against the fabric of her shirt. "Oh. Right. I... sorry I didn't come with. Grandma would've been mad."

"S'alright." He tilted his head. "Why'd you wanna walk in together?"

"Dunno. Just... I guess I wanted someone... " Letting the sentence trail off, she turned and began to walk away. "C'mon, we're gonna be late."

She was as quiet as she'd been yesterday. Still beating herself up, maybe. Kanji grunted in frustration - then moved after her, catching up in a few easy strides. "Ain't your fault," he told her.

Rise let out a small, half-hearted laugh. "I'm supposed to be the perceptive one, Kanji-kun. Don't go stealing my thunder, okay?"

"I notice some stuff. Like the fact that Naoto's bein' an idiot over this." He glanced down at Rise, wondering if he should pat her on the back or something. Girls were hard to figure out. "He'd have pulled this crap no matter what y'said."

She shook her head. "He was such a jerk before... but we should have told him what we were doing. He figured us out, but the television... he wouldn't have known, Kanji-kun."

"Which is why it was dumb of him to follow through on this shit. Counting on us to rescue him." Which was plain _stupid_. What detective went and got themselves caught by the guy they were chasing? "Moron's provin' a point."

"Maybe," Rise murmured, sounding distracted. "There are a lot of things I need to tell him, Kanji-kun, I... we might have stuff in common, you know?" She tugged at the hem of her school shirt. "Being an idol wasn't easy. Being a detective at our age has to be hard too."

Swallowing down the sudden burst of jealousy was tougher than Kanji would've liked. Naoto had never been interested in Rise - he'd ignored her even when she'd been turning on the charm to get hold of his homework - and Rise was too busy flirting with Souji. "Just wanna be friends, right?" he asked.

Rise looked up at him, expression slightly confused. "Well, yeah. I mean, he doesn't fit in, just like you and me."

Kanji wasn't in the mood for pity. "Yeah, right. Everyone likes you."

"They like _Risette_," she told him firmly. "Not Rise. Kanji-kun, you ever wonder why you never saw me round here as a kid?"

He blinked. She was right. Naoki and Yukiko he remembered well - and Chie had been around sometimes, even if she never visited the store. He couldn't recall seeing Rise even when he'd still been going to class. "Uh..."

"Exactly. I was shy." Staring at the ground, Rise folded her arms. "I got bullied at junior school, so I never wanted to show up."

The idea of Rise being shy was ridiculous enough, never mind her getting picked on. "Then how the hell'd you become an idol?"

"Long story. But, yeah, I know it feels. And when we get Naoto-kun back, I'm gonna try my best with him, no matter how much of a jerk he is." She smiled up at Kanji. "Got to stick together, right?"

Back when she joined the team, Rise had seemed exactly like the sort of girl that'd always terrified Kanji; the sort that'd laughed at him when he'd fixed that girl's bag and when his cooking had turned out the best in Home Economics class. She'd already proved him wrong more than once. Sure, she teased him like nothing else, and when it came to team gossip she was frickin' _dangerous, _but she had a good heart. If she was going to make an effort with Naoto, he'd do the same. He owed the kid that much. If he hadn't been so damn passive, and a total pussy with it, he could've stopped Naoto diving straight into this mess. They could've worked together - and maybe Kanji could've figured out what the hell he wanted and if Naoto wanted it too. But there was still chance to change all that.

He smiled back at Rise, and meant it. "Yeah. So long as we kick his ass first."

**

* * *

**

"Look, I just wanna know if you've spoken to him, alright?"

The first-year - Toshio, wasn't it? - stared up, wide-eyed, and pressed his back against the locker. "Wh-who?"

"Naoto. Shirogane. The detective." Kanji grimaced. "Told y'that already. Twice now."

"I-I'm sorry!" stammered Toshio, raising his trembling palms and wilting under Kanji's gaze. "Shirogane-kun, he, he never talked to me. I didn't do anything!"

"Never said you did." This was useless. Kanji heaved a sigh, then backed away. "Go on, get outta here."

Toshio took off before Kanji had even finished speaking, dashing down the corridor and almost barreling into Rise on the way. She shot Kanji a quick grin, which shifted to an exaggerated pout. "Aw, Kanji-kun, I think you scared him."

"He ain't the first." Ten separate attempts at talking to other students and they'd all acted like Kanji was about to beat them round the head with a chair. "Should've expected it."

"It's been kinda the same for me," Rise said, stopping next to him and leaning against the row of lockers. "Um, not that they think I'm gonna hit them. But like I said, everyone thinks they're talking to Risette."

In Kanji's case, everyone figured they were talking to a thug. Some of it wasn't his fault - he couldn't control his height or how quickly he built up muscle - but a bunch of it definitely was. The piercings, the scar, that shit with the bikers, it all added up. He let out a breath, one hand rubbing the back of his head, and Rise grabbed his arm.

"C'mon, Kanji-kun. Now _you're_ the one on a downer. We've gotta keep trying."

"Shame it hasn't done any good yet." When Kanji glanced over his shoulder, Yosuke was ambling towards them from the other end of the corridor. The usual tinny racket rattled from the headphones hanging round his neck. "I got nothing so far. I'm guessing you guys haven't either?"

"Ain't nobody wants to talk to us," muttered Kanji, resisting the urge to kick a boot against the wooden floor.

"Yeah, no surprise," Yosuke said. "Luckily I don't have _that_ problem."

Letting go of Kanji's arm, Rise gave Yosuke a wide-eyed look. "That's strange, Yosuke-senpai! I could've sworn I saw a bunch of first-years laughing at you over by the gym."

Yosuke winced. "Uh, yeah. Misunderstanding." Then he sighed, blowing his hair from his face. "Though it'd be nice if they used my real name instead of 'Junes'."

Frankly, Kanji'd heard worse, especially out in the shopping district. Most of the shopkeepers hated Junes just because it was there. Yosuke was an extension of that - an extension with a smart mouth and a knack for over-confidence. "What 'bout Souji-senpai?" he asked. "You seen him?"

Yosuke shook his head. "He'll be doing great, though. He's awesome with people. I swear, everyone knows him."

"Yeah. It's kinda weird," Rise added, then shrugged. "But Chie-senpai's pretty popular too."

"Satonaka? You serious?"

"Oh yeah. Tons of guys like her too. Maybe not as many as Yukiko-senpai, but they all think she's more approachable." The conviction in Rise's voice was almost scary - just like her ability to magically know what was going on all over the school long before Kanji even got an inkling. Shame it wasn't working with Naoto.

"Huh." Yosuke folded his arms. "I didn't... well, maybe she'll find out something. She can't just be good for kicking stuff." He smirked. "Unlike you, Kanji."

"Shut your face," said Kanji. Usually he'd put more effort in, or maybe threaten some sort of creative violence - but Yosuke wasn't worth it and he already had too much crap to think about. He paused. "Can't y'get Teddie to go look for Naoto? Just from the lot?"

"Dude, are you crazy?" Yosuke stared at him in disbelief. "I don't let Teddie leave the _house_ while I'm at school! And he couldn't find Naoto anyway, his nose is blocked or something. It's down to us for now."

"Or Souji-senpai and Chie-senpai, at least." Rise sighed, twirling a stray strand of her hair around her fingers. "I saw Yukiko-senpai up on the second floor earlier. She's too polite to ask anyone, thinks she needs to start a conversation with them about the weather first."

Sounded about right. "She'll do great in the district, though," Kanji said. "Being polite s'a big deal there."

"Hey, guys!"

The voice came from the stairs. Chie was waving down at them on the landing between the first and second floor. "Any luck?" she asked, hopping down the rest of the steps. Souji and Yukiko followed close behind.

"Nope," Yosuke told her. "You?"

"Maybe." Souji shoved his hands in his jacket pocket, looking thoughtful. "A third-year in the Practice Building mentioned she saw Naoto arguing with someone about a month ago. A policeman."

...Wait.

Kanji smacked his forehead. "Shit! Uh, sorry," he added, with an apologetic glance toward Yukiko, then grimaced. "I, I know what happened. I saw it. Dammit, should've remembered!"

"We don't know if it's important," Yukiko gently reminded him. "What happened?"

"Naoto was tearing this cop a new one outside my ma's store." Kanji dug deeper and tried to pull up the memory. Wasn't difficult; the ones involving Naoto always stuck out. "He said the real killer was still on the loose, right after we helped catch Kubo. Asshole cop blanked him completely." That'd been about it - aside from Kanji trying and failing to help. "You think it's a clue?"

"Not sure. Would you recognize this guy?" Souji asked.

"Yeah. Think so. Always hangin' round the district in the evening." Kanji was tempted to storm right over to the station and drag the jerk out by his ears, except the cops would find some excuse to arrest him on the spot. Dojima was pretty straight up, but some of the other bastards there still bore a grudge.

Souji glanced at Yosuke, who shrugged. "Hey, it's something. Besides, almost everyone else already left school."

"We can ask around in town, too." Rise gestured towards Kanji. "Kanji and I know people there. Yukiko-senpai, too. Even if this cop isn't on patrol till later, we can use the time to ask around."

"Good idea." Souji nodded. "Let's go."

**

* * *

**

"This isn't working as well as I hoped." Yukiko sighed, brushing back another long strand of dark hair behind her ears. "Chie finds it easy to talk to everyone, so I've always let her handle it."

Kanji'd been a little surprised at how much trouble Yukiko had approaching people. In the memories he had of her years ago, she'd always seemed so polite and refined. Left him feeling like a klutz every time she came to the store, wearing kimonos with intricate designs he spent hours trying to replicate from memory. That, he figured, had been 'Amagi Inn' Yukiko. Real Yukiko had all that, sure - but she also fell into fits of laughter than lasted minutes at a time and had gotten maybe-sort-of-drunk at a city nightclub. He sighed. "Hey, I ain't much better."

"Well, at least people aren't running away from you here."

Nope. Instead, they wanted to ask about his ma, how the store was going and when he was going to take those silly lumps of metal out his face. If he heard the name 'Kanji-chan' one more time, he'd probably punch himself in the head. Worse, the cop wasn't around; they'd have to wait till the evening. "We ain't found anything out either," he muttered.

"Maybe we should try the floodplain," Yukiko suggested. "The weather's good, so I'm sure there'll be plenty of people down there."

Kanji shrugged. "I guess." The whole day had been pretty disheartening, but he didn't want to quit, not with Naoto still stuck inside the television, especially with a Shadow who wanted to chop him into bits. Something was definitely up there.

With Yukiko taking the lead, they walked back through the district, following the same route Kanji took to school. The sun was shining and the last of Inaba's usual hot summer still hadn't faded. Yukiko never seemed to feel the heat, but Kanji was glad he'd gone for a sleeveless shirt instead of something smarter.

As they entered the park, she looked up at him. "There's something I don't get, Kanji-kun. Why aren't Naoto-kun's family concerned?"

Kanji frowned. "Uh... I guess they don't know?" But that was dumb. Even with his tendency to disappear for days, Ma had still noticed he'd been gone longer than usual. She'd almost chewed his ear off when he got back; apparently she'd been on the verge of calling the cops.

"But they'd _have_ to notice. My mother called the police straight away." Yukiko winced. "I know she's a little... overprotective, but it's been days since Naoto-kun disappeared. Didn't he mention his grandfather?"

"Yeah... but maybe he... I guess the old man could be out of town, you know?" If anyone was capable of taking care of himself, it'd be Naoto. Except for the the part where he got himself kidnapped on purpose.

Yukiko hummed thoughtfully. "It just seems odd." She looked up. "Oh, Rise-chan's already here!"

Further along the path, Rise was standing next to a young woman, deep in a conversation that had the latter smiling brightly. It was only as he moved closer that Kanji could hear the words.

"...He's just so amazing!" The woman clasped her hands. "He was handsome on the television, but he's _so_ much better in real life. A real detective prince, here in Inaba! I've been trying to talk to him for two months now!"

Yukiko touched his arm. "Kanji-kun, are you alright? You look flushed."

Kanji, not trusting his voice, nodded dumbly.

The woman continued. "I just wish he were a few years older. All those girls at his school, he's probably--"

"Oh, totally!" Rise chirped, with the sort of easy smile that meant she was ignoring someone completely. "Have you seen him in town lately?"

"Not in the past week. I've missed him." The woman hesitated, frowning slightly. "Listen, do you think he likes... you know, more mature women? Not that I'm old! But... well, what do you think?"

Rise glanced down the path at Kanji, smirked, then turned back to the woman. "Sorry, I don't think he's into that kind of thing. Hey, my friends are here, so I gotta go. Thanks for your help!" With that, she darted towards Kanji and Yukiko, leaving the woman looking crestfallen.

Way too old for Naoto. Like he'd ever go for _that_. No point in worrying, Kanji decided, and focused his attention on forcing the heat away from his cheeks.

"Oh, don't worry, Kanji-kun." Rise rolled her eyes. "Pretty sure Naoto isn't into older women. Seeing as he isn't into--"

"Shut up!" Kanji snapped. "You find anything out or what?"

"Not a thing. I seriously think that lady was the first person who didn't realize I was Risette." She sighed. "You know how many autographs I've been asked to sign today?"

This was stupid. A whole bunch of them wandering around the school and town and still nothing to help them find Naoto. Kanji grunted. "Dammit. You seen Souji? He struck gold earlier."

"Nope. Chie and Yosuke aren't doing that great, though. Last time I saw them they were arguing their heads off outside the general store."

Yukiko shook her head, arms folded. "I _told_ Souji not to put them together!"

"Yeah, and I told Souji to put me with him. He didn't." Rise tapped her foot against the path and let out a heavy sigh. "This is so difficult! How did you guys find _me_?"

Kanji had been there for that one. "Eh, it was pretty easy," he told her. "There was your grandma, a few fans at school, this photographer guy by the river... everybody knew you."

"Or they knew Risette," Yukiko corrected him. "But that told us about you in turn, Rise-chan."

Maybe it'd been hard for them to find Kanji, too. The team hadn't known much about him other than that crap they pulled when he met with Naoto. "What 'bout me? Who helped there?"

"Actually... it was Naoto-kun. Your mother told us he'd stopped by to ask after you. Eventually, we found him at Junes."

Naoto had _helped_? "Wh-what did he say?"

Yukiko bit her lip in concentration. "Um. Let's see... he said... he said he'd called you odd. And that you'd behaved strangely. Something about a complex. That was enough to tell us about your... well." She shifted in place. "You know. Your Shadow."

Shit. Had Kanji been that obvious? The odd part, he remembered - even though he didn't want to - but he'd locked it down tight after that, played it all cool. Or so he'd thought. "I'm not odd," he muttered, then cringed. Why the hell was he worrying about that? Naoto had helped save him and Kanji hadn't done shit in return.

He swallowed. "But I gotta make sure I help him, then. S'only fair."

"You will, Kanji-kun." Rise nodded firmly, cellphone in hand. "Listen, it's already five. I promised I'd help Grandma clean up tonight. You guys should walk back with me - and then you can find this cop, okay?"

**

* * *

**

Kanji had spent the best part of the afternoon making sure he remembered the cop's face. The guy had been nondescript - middle-aged, dark hair, average height - and every time Kanji pulled up the memory he was looking at Naoto instead, but there were only so many cops that worked the district.

"Just yell when you see him, okay?" Chie was sitting beside him on the steps outside the old model shop, feet kicking against the concrete.

"It's not a fight, Chie." Yukiko hadn't wanted to sit on the steps; said she'd get her uniform dirty. "We need to be polite."

"Which is why we brought you, Yuki." Chie grinned. "Seriously, though. This should be easy. We can just ask the same old questions. Pretend we're Naoto-kun's friends and that we're worried about him."

Kanji wasn't sure which was sadder: that the only friends Naoto had were pretend, or that after four months he couldn't claim to be any more than that. He scowled at Chie. "I _am _worried about him, alright?"

"Hey... I didn't mean it like that! Kanji-kun, if we were close to Naoto-kun then we'd already know where to find him. That's why we found Yukiko so easily."

"It just took you a long time to get me out," Yukiko quietly pointed out - and Chie winced.

The conversation continued from there - Chie had started apologizing, saying something about needing to get stronger - but Kanji stopped paying attention. At the other end of the district, up near the shrine, he could see someone in uniform. A cop, medium height.

He elbowed Chie, then pointed to the cop. "Thass him! I-I think so, anyway."

"Then let's go!" Chie was on her feet in a moment - the girl had speed - and already walking down the street. Kanji and Yukiko followed close behind.

They'd already agreed Yukiko would do the talking. Kanji wished Souji could've come, but he'd already agreed to meet with this kid he was tutoring. Both Yosuke and Kanji had told him to cancel, on the grounds that Naoto was way more important, but he'd refused, saying it'd be better for the team if he showed up like he'd promised.

Souji was damn hard to figure out sometimes.

By the time they reached him, the cop had stopped to talk to a short guy in a grey suit. Yukiko took a deep breath, then walked closer. "Excuse me, sir?"

The cop turned towards Yukiko, quickly glancing her up and down. "You reporting a crime?"

"N-no, we just--"

"Then quit bothering me. I'm in the middle of something here."

"Don't look like it," Kanji snapped - then drew himself up to his full height and shot the guy in the suit a scowl. It worked. He shrank back, muttered something to the cop, then turned and quickly walked away.

The cop watched him leave, then turned to scowl at Kanji. "Tatsumi, right? Figures. Screw it, I can't be bothered dealing with a bunch of kids.... just go home already."

Lazy bastard. No wonder he'd brushed Naoto off. Kanji grit his teeth.

"Sir, we're just looking for our friend Naoto." Naturally, Yukiko had a much better handle on her temper. Maybe inn customers were assholes too. "Shirogane, the detective. He hasn't been to school lately."

The cop rolled his eyes. "Jeez, that kid's skipping school to do his investigation now? What's his problem?"

Fists already balled, Kanji began to step forward, until Chie grabbed a handful of his shirt and tugged him back.

"I wouldn't know, sir, but we just--"

"The killer's caught, the case is over," the cop interrupted, lips curling into a sneer. "But just because the Detective Prince isn't _satisfied_, he's been giving us grief for weeks!"

"Sir, _please_."

Pausing mid-stream, the cop looked at Yukiko, eyes narrowed. Then he sighed. "Look, all we wanna do is shut the book on this thing so we don't have to deal with it anymore. Inaba's a quiet town, you know? But all your friend Shirogane cares about is his precious case." He shook his head. "No wonder the whole department treats him like a kid. Speaking of which... all of you, scram. It's getting late."

Yukiko nodded. "Very well, sir. Thank you."

Only once the cop was a good twenty meters away did Chie let go of Kanji's shirt. He immediately inspected it, trying to figure out how badly she'd stretched the fabric.

"I swear, Kanji-kun!" she hissed. "I thought you were gonna hit him!"

Scowling, Kanji tucked the shirt back into his pants. "Should've."

"I wish you had," added Yukiko, folding her arms. "Asshole."

Both Kanji and Chie blinked.

Yukiko continued, oblivious. "And he didn't even tell us anything! Oh, I wanted to punch him!"

With a sigh, Chie wrapped her arm round Yukiko's shoulders. "Lucky for him that you didn't, right?"

"He did tell us one thing. He said all the cops treat Naoto like a kid." Kanji shrugged. "If Shadows are based on feelings, maybe we got somethin' to go on."

"Huh. Good point, Kanji-kun." Chie pulled her cellphone from her pocket. "I'll talk to Souji. Dunno how, but he always seems to know when we've got enough." Her finger hovered over the buttons. "On second thoughts, he'll be tutoring. We'll have to talk to him tomorrow."

Kanji's first instinct was to object, and loudly. Instead, he took a deep breath. "We just need to hurry it up," he said carefully. "S'been days. You'd already pulled me out by now."

"I know. But after Naoto helped us you were easy to find and we were strong enough to reach you. We took way longer to get to Rise." Chie glanced sideways. "Same with Yukiko."

"And we were both fine," Yukiko added.

'Fine' was exaggerating. Rise had looked ready to drop when they took down her Shadow. On the other hand, she'd been strong enough to help them fight Teddie's, even if they'd had to carry her out afterwards. It hadn't been _that_ long since Naoto was in there, and for a guy so small he seemed pretty tough. "Yeah," Kanji muttered. "Just hope you're right."


	10. Interlude 2

_A/N: Another sideways step. Naoto meets an infuriating doppelganger with a penchant for lab-coats._

___Pronoun choice from Naoto's perspective_. Those of you who've read Quicksilver (first "Naoto in secret base" fic I wrote) will notice more than a few similarities. Once I've seen a scene it's impossible to un-see it - headcanon - but Quicksilver's style is completely wrong for this particular story. Therefore: you may be reading the not-quite-same-but-fairly-close thing twice. Apologies, guys.  


* * *

"I will ask again. Who and what are you?"

"And I will ask this: why is interrogation your sole method of communication?"

Naoto stared dully at what absolutely wasn't herself, no matter what form it had taken. It wore her face and her clothes. Those were the only similarities. It was impossible to tell what the clone was even supposed to _be_: girl, boy, girl, it shifted between them with the light.

_Make up your mind,_ she almost snapped - then paused, took a deep breath and forced her pitch low. "You are avoiding the- -"

"Ace detective." The clone's lips curled around the words. "The perfect justification for your inadequacies. Everything an investigation, the whole world a puzzle to be solved." He - she - no, _it_, it tipped its head. "What happens when you can't?"

"That isn't even-"

"All you have is this," it trilled, tapping a labcoat-covered hand against Naoto's head. She jerked back with a hiss. "Nothing else. If you cannot solve this case, what use are you, Naoto-kun? Who would ever need you?"

Naoto gulped, trying to swallow past the tightness in her throat. This... clone, duplicate, fraud - the moniker hardly mattered - was clearly designed to unsettle her. An illusion of some sort. She had wasted her time attempting to speak with him. Her. It. "You are a- a construct. You are irrelevant. I wish to speak with the culprit."

"The culprit. Who would that be?" When Naoto didn't answer, the clone threw back its head and laughed. "And you call yourself a detective!"

_Remain calm. Analyze. Rationalize._ After the lurch as she'd swung through empty air, then the painful impact with the ground, there was nothing. Naoto had woken up with her wrists and ankles strapped to a metal table, blinked clear her blurred vision, and seen herself. Or not herself.

Absolutely none of this made sense.

"I _am_," she muttered - intending to follow through with a more persuasive argument, but her head was fogged and the room had begun to occasionally tip at unpleasant angles. Drugged. She was drugged and dreaming. That, however, would not explain the bruises on her arms. Naoto prodded a particularly vivid one near her left wrist; the sudden throb of pain left her biting her lip. Which hurt too. Awake, then.

_Rationalize_. Ignore the clone, focus on escaping. Where could the culprit have constructed a place such as this? A warehouse, perhaps. But such elaborateness served no purpose, and how would they have known that-

"You aren't _listening_!"

As always, the pitch was higher, weaker; feminine. Childish.

Naoto's jaw tightened.

"Nobody pays attention, it's not fair!" The clone rocked back and forth on its heels, sleeves wrapped over its head. This had happened countless times. Erratic shifts from disdain and supercilious insults to... to this. A child in ill-fitting clothing who sobbed and clung to Naoto like a shadow.

Naoto kept her gaze fixed on the steel floor. The air burned her throat with each breath; an odd mix of formaldehyde, plastic, and motor oil. "I-I have things to think about."

"Always cogitating, Naoto-kun." The deep voice had returned, seeming to echo off both the walls of the room and the inside of her skull. "Your entire life, an endless, relentless analysis of everything around you. Except yourself."

Which was perfectly reasonable. Naoto thrived on questions and mysteries, but only those that had been solved. Answers came via investigation. Answers did not come via others, because some people preferred the questions never be asked at all.

Analyzing herself? Purposeless. There were no question marks.

The clone lurched forward, eyes suddenly wide. "Questions upset people. _You _upset people. If you stayed quiet we wouldn't be alone!"

"Speaking with you is a futile endeavour," Naoto muttered. "Unless you can conduct yourself in a sensible and consistent manner, then-"

"Stop talking like that!" The clone shrieked, thumping its fists against the floor. "Big words, pretend voice... you're so _stupid!_ Nobody believes you!" Its face contorted into another sneer. "You don't fool anyone."

Naoto felt her fists ball up. She forced her fingers to relax. _Remain calm._ "You are just-"

The clone's hand snapped around her collar, jerking her forward. "Focus, Naoto-kun. We are the same." It smiled, stroking her chin with a crooked finger. "Would you believe _me_?"

Their faces were inches apart. Wide eyes, long lashes. Angled cheekbones, thin lips - but the jaw was undefined and the skin far too soft.

How had she ever convinced- -

Naoto growled deep in her throat - stupid, stupid, as if this creature knew _anything _- and pulled back. "You, you're a fraud. A flawed copy, a fake!"

"I see, I see! The Detective Prince is a hypocrite."

It was an absurd nickname. Naoto had not chosen it; had no idea who'd devised it; had never even liked it.

"A prince who doesn't exist and a detective who excels at self-delusion. And underneath?" The clone grinned; everything about it looked wrong. "A scared, stunted little boy-girl-_nothing_."

_Stay calm. Analyze. Rationalize. _

Naoto drew her knees up to her chest and tugged at the brim of her cap.  
_  
_She would evaluate her situation. Ignore the clone. So far, she'd felt neither thirst or hunger, suggesting that little time had passed. Except she was certain it had - but her watch had stopped, the screen a garbled mass of pixels, despite the lack of any visible damage. Naoto had tried dismantling and reassembling it using the tools scattered around the laboratory, which the clone had found simply fascinating. It had curled around her as she sat on the floor, fists tangled in her shirt.

Shortly after she'd woken up, it had released her from the restraints in a childish fit of tears, begging her to stay and talk and look at its inventions. The comments about the planned _alteration process_ hadn't ceased since. Naoto had her suspicions about what that actually involved.

She turned to look at the clone, who was sprawled stomach-down on the floor. "At... at least tell me where we are."

"You know where we are. You made it."

"Nonsense. I've never seen this place." Naoto tipped back her head and grit her teeth, concentrating on the wires and pipes that snaked across the ceiling.

"You made it," insisted the clone, voice breaking, "and it's your fault we're alone."

Nothing made sense. She'd missed something, hadn't paid close enough attention, had put far too much faith in- -

"We should've asked them." The clone was now sitting upright with its knees curled to its chest. Naoto straightened her own. "Th-they would've helped us."

_I did ask_, Naoto thought. She had questioned them at Port Island, received some cryptic nonsense about televisions and shadows - then asked Tatsumi again days later and been offered only evasiveness. He'd been kind to her in the hotel corridor; for some idiotic reason, she hadn't recognized that for the pity and condescension it had truly been.

"The visit was pointless to begin with, Naoto-kun. A ludicrous waste of time."

Naoto didn't recall speaking out loud. "I had to," she mumbled. "The school required it."

The clone rumbled with laughter, a deep and exaggerated sound that resonated around the room. "Did the school require you to visit a nightclub? Or require you to shop for souvenirs, or to bore them all rigid with your- -"

"Shut up!" she snapped - then caught herself, tensed her muscles. "It, it was for the investigation, I had to- -"

"Admit it, Naoto-kun. You wanted friends. We don't have any."

(In the early summer, before any of this had been real - when the case had been another puzzle box, and all she needed to do was find the right sequence of actions - Grampa had sent her a letter explaining the arrangements he'd made for her to start at Yasogami High in September._ A detective still needs to finish high-school, Naoto. You might make friends_. Naoto had thrown the letter in a drawer.)

Naoto blinked. Why had she remembered-

"That's why nobody's looking for us," the clone said quietly. "Nobody's even noticed."

"Of course they have, I made it perfectly clear what I- -"

"Did you, now? Vague hints and barbed comments. Oh, but they should've listened to the child genius, shouldn't they? So sharp, so brilliant, provoking a murderer just to prove a point!"

("I'm not a damn babysitter," Dojima had snapped, slamming his coffee cup against his desk, five minutes after they'd first met. Naoto had been explaining the errors he'd made in the investigation so far, the missed opportunities and the disregard for the disappearance of Kanji Tatsumi; an action he had not appeared to appreciate.)

The clone crawled closer. Naoto felt a cold hand stroke over the back of her neck. "Why would they even _want _to look for you?"

The inside of Naoto's chest felt suddenly tight, as if something were trying to break through her ribs.

"They need me," she managed.

"Why? What use is a lonely child? One who can't even decide what they are?"

(She'd made the decision at thirteen. At the time, it had seemed both ideal and trivial; merely an extension of her existing behavior. Men's clothing that never quite fit. Bindings and vests that hurt. The constant need to monitor her voice. It was always worth it - she was strong, in control, felt _right _- until the moment each night when she remembered that, for an ace detective, she'd proven remarkably good at selling lies.)

"I will ask you my question again," Naoto said slowly, deliberately, fists clenching then uncurling, "who and what are you?"

"Two. That's two questions." The clone held up two fingers, the labcoat sleeve draping back over its wrist. "Who and what. Naoto-kun, you're slipping."

Of course she wasn't. Dizziness, that's all. The room was spinning more and more, nothing looked right, this ridiculous _fake_ didn't and couldn't look right.

"Trapped in your own creation. Unable to solve a trivial case." The clone leaned closer and whispered against her ear. "Watching children answer questions you never even asked."

(What all the newspaper articles and that absurd interview on Niteline had never mentioned were the cases that hadn't worked out as they should, the two times Naoto had failed completely. After the first, Grampa had told her it was impossible to be right every time. Naoto's first thought had been _why not_.)

"Shut up. J-just shut up. You don't- -"

_Stay calm. Analyze. Rationalize._

The chemicals in the air must have thickened; the walls seemed to disappear behind fog.

"You're tired, Naoto-kun." Fingers still at her neck, tangling in her hair. "You're broken."

The room spun. Naoto screwed her eyes shut.

"But we'll fix you," a voice murmured. It sounded far too much like her own.

* * *

"Wake up! Wake up!"

Naoto's eyes flew open.

Metal floor, green light, bitter chemicals in each breath. She hadn't escaped. Her head was swimming.

Nobody had- -

The clone dashed from console to console, yanking at levers and slamming bunched-up fabric against buttons. "It's all your fault! They're trying to find this place!"

Seta and his team? Impossible. They didn't need her. A false alarm, then.

"We need to lock the doors, set up the defences," the clone continued, yellow eyes frantic and wide. The voice continually shifted now, echo to shriek to something unnerving between the two.

Still curled on one side, Naoto swallowed, her mouth dry. "I thought you said... nobody was coming."

"Shut up! Shut up! They won't find us anyway, won't even find the base, we'll keep them out. We know how to do _that_, don't we? We've always known how to push- -"

The rest faded into background noise. Naoto stared at the floor.

Certain things were impossible. The team finding her was not. That was merely improbable, a statistical unlikelihood, and those could be surpassed. At least, by Seta. On some level, Naoto had always intended to rescue herself...

...But certain things were impossible.

Naoto sat up shakily - fighting another bout of nausea - then pressed her back against the nearest wall, and waited.


	11. Chapter 9

_A/N: Story so far: After a fruitless search, the team finally found a lead on Naoto - but Kanji was more than a little concerned by the delay.  
_

_In this part: Kanji finally loses his patience, Naoto's a fan of Featherman, and Yosuke discovers the trouble with underclassmen. (Events here are AU, but still fit in the game timeline.)  
_

* * *

**September 18th 2011**

"It's not enough," Souji told them.

Kanji wasn't sure how he'd even know. Rise was the scanner. Frankly, there were a bunch of things he didn't understand and one he did: Naoto was still stuck inside the television, days after he'd disappeared. "It's all we got. We gotta try."

Souji shook his head. He was hunched over, his elbows resting on the table. "No point. We'd be better off looking for more information."

"We've _been_ doing that, Souji." Yosuke tapped his foot against the food court tiles. "The only lead we have came from a cop, so why don't we do what I--"

"Dojima's told me not to get involved."

"But he doesn't need to know!"

"Yosuke, he asks questions every time we bring someone back. If he sees me at the station, you have no idea how much trouble I'd be in. All of us." Souji grimaced and leaned back in his chair, ignoring Yosuke, who'd folded his arms and was staring at the ground. "Is there anything else we haven't tried?"

"You know there ain't," Kanji snapped.

Next to him, Yosuke let out a long sigh, then looked up. "Man, I never thought I'd say it... but Kanji's right. C'mon, Souji, all we need to do is ask around." He grinned, brushing stray strands of hair behind his ears. "If we get caught, we'll just say it's for a school project or something."

"Great idea, Dojima's bound to be convinced," muttered Souji - but the shift in his tone and the way Yosuke smirked told Kanji exactly how he'd be spending his Sunday morning.

**

* * *

**

Souji stood at the base of the steps outside the police station, staring up at the main doors, and let out a breath. "Let's get this over with. Kanji--"

"Yeah, I know. Stay out here." And a good distance from the station entrance, too. There'd been no reason for Kanji to come, other than keeping him from stamping around the shopping district. "Go on, I'll wait."

"We'll yell for you if we need some heads broken," Yosuke said with a wink. He nudged Souji in the side. "C'mon, partner."

Honestly, Kanji didn't relish hanging around in full view of a cop shop. Far as the police were concerned, they didn't have a real criminal to catch now. Didn't mean they'd bother him, necessarily, but he might screw things up for Yosuke and Souji, especially since he'd bothered Dojima about Naoto once already. Head tucked down and trying to make himself small as possible - which was not very - he trudged down a side alley to the left of the station. It looked to be crammed with containers and crates, papers and wrappers and empty bottles scattered over the ground. Hands shoved in his pockets, Kanji rounded a particularly big stack of boxes - and almost walked right into a cop, leaning against the wall beside a side door.

He froze in place. _Crap_.

The cop was fiddling with a cigarette lighter, cursing under his breath, so Kanji figured he could back away quietly. It was a great plan, unfortunately ruined when he kicked a bottle near his right foot.

"Uh... s-sorry," he stammered, just as the cop looked up.

"Hey, you got a light?" Didn't even blink at Kanji; just held up a red cigarette lighter. "Damn thing never works right."

"Don't smoke." Not only wasn't he old enough, Ma would kill him. Besides, get that smell in fabric and it'd never come out. His dad should've remembered that.

The cop was a stocky guy, late twenties maybe. He peered up at Kanji. "Huh. Guess you wouldn't. You're that Tatsumi kid, right?"

No point lying. Kanji nodded dumbly, wondering what would be pinned on him this time.

"Big guy, ain't you?" The cop went back to flicking the lighter, unlit cigarette still dangling from his lips. "No wonder you took down those bikers."

People were still talking about that? It'd happened over a year ago and Kanji hadn't even done much; for all the noise, the bikers had been a bunch of pussies. Four of them, and he'd walked away with a few bruises and a couple of small scars. He wasn't proud of what he'd done and Ma hadn't taken it well - but hey, he'd solved the noise problem. "So?"

"Don't get like that. Not all the guys here think what you did was wrong." The lighter finally caught and flickered into life. "Wouldn't mind if you did it again."

Kanji stared at him. "You serious?"

The cop shrugged. "Hell, all those bikers ever did was kick up noise. Besides, it's not like you're gonna report me to my boss, right?" He took a long drag on his cigarette, breathed out the smoke, then grinned. "So, Tatsumi. Why's someone like you hanging out near a police station?"

Kanji didn't even know this guy's name and didn't feel right asking. Telling him the truth... he might let it slip around Souji's uncle. Then again, he might know something about Naoto.

To hell with it; Kanji was desperate. He took a deep breath. "Lookin' for someone. Naoto Shirogane." The name earned an annoyed grunt. "Hey, you know him?"

"Find me a guy here who _doesn't_. Kid's driven half the department up the wall." Much as he'd have liked to contradict that, Kanji could see it. Naoto had pissed _him_ off, multiple times. "Waltzed right on in and started telling us what to do. The detectives got the worst of it, but he's just as much of a dick to the rest of us." Another long drag on the cigarette. "Tried to shoot the breeeze with him once and he stared at me like I'd grown an extra head."

Right now, Kanji didn't particularly want to hear someone ragging on Naoto, no matter how justified it was. "I'm trying t'find him. He ain't been in school lately."

"Huh. Wondered why I hadn't seen him. He kept coming back even after they threw him off the case. Heard he was sleeping at the station back in summer, swear I never saw him leave." The cop leaned his head against the wall, cigarette back at his lips. "Kid's obsessed."

The first few months Kanji had known Naoto - or known _of_ him - he'd seemed like the coolest, calmest guy in the world. He'd made Kanji feel bad for never keeping his temper and getting so hung up on everything. Honestly, Kanji still wasn't sure if he wanted to _be _Naoto, or just be friends with Naoto, or--

He shook his head. Watching Naoto lose it with that cop back in August and the way he'd gotten all torn up right before he disappeared had shaken up those perceptions. Kanji looked back up at the cop, trying to work out if he should ask more, when Yosuke's voice sounded from the end of the alley. "Yo, Kanji!"

Kanji glanced at the cop. "Uh... gotta go, man. Thanks for the chat."

"Whatever." Another shrug, followed by a grin. "Go beat up a few more bikers, alright?"

It was only the second time someone had deliberately told Kanji to get in a fight. Souji had been the first and he'd made it clear that order only held inside the television. As he walked back out of the alley, Kanji decided that some adults were just damn hypocrites.

"How'd it go, Senpai?" he asked. The look on both their faces suggested a less than promising answer.

"Not great. Dojima was there." A dark look crossed Souji's face. "We didn't speak, but he'll know we were asking about Naoto."

"Didn't find much out, either. We tried to talk to a few guys near the front desk and... well, most of them brushed us off and the ones who didn't had nothing good to say." Yosuke winced. "Hate to say it, but Naoto sounds like a real jerk."

"He ain't," muttered Kanji, purely on reflex. What Yosuke had said only echoed what he'd just heard from the cop - which could maybe help. "Listen... I met this cop while you were both gone. Said Naoto had pissed off a whole bunch of people in the department."

"Which is what we heard too," Souji muttered.

Kanji frowned. There had to be something else. "Uh... he also said Naoto was obsessed with the case. That he was at the station day and night before they threw him out. That any good?"

For a long moment, Souji didn't say anything. Just stared at the ground, arms folded, brow furrowed.

Yosuke glanced at Kanji. Kanji glanced at Yosuke. They'd seen Souji do this once before, with Rise, but not for this long. Kanji was just wondering whether smacking his senpai in the head was poor form when Souji finally looked up and nodded firmly. "Yeah. That should do it. I'll call the others tonight and we'll go in tomorrow after school."

Tomorrow? "B-but we got the whole afternoon!" Kanji stammered. "Why are we holdin' out?"

"I have prior plans," Souji said, smooth and even, the dark look from earlier vanished. Kanji's first, white-hot urge was to grab his collar and shake him. "I better get going. See you tomorrow."

As he walked away, cellphone in hand, Kanji moved to follow - until a hand grabbed his forearm.

"Dude." Yosuke gave him a warning look. "Just leave it. You're not going to change his mind."

"You know this is bullshit, right? Senpai's your friend, the hell's up with him?"

Yosuke looked pained. "Wish I knew. He's gotten like this before... just not so bad. But it always works out."

They'd taken their time with Rise too. Kanji hadn't understood the delay then either, and he'd felt terrible about it, but he'd trusted Souji. Everyone had, and still did. The guy made it easy - except, right now, Kanji was finding it _really_ hard to be convinced.

**

* * *

**

**September 19th 2011**

Monday rolled around. Kanji showed up late and barely paid attention to any of his lessons; even earned himself extra work in English class for zoning out. He couldn't find it in him to care. Soon as the last bell rang, he was out the door and on his way to Junes, arriving at the food court long before the rest of the team. Too long. He sat there half an hour, fidgeting and drumming his fingers on the table, before Rise finally showed up.

"Sorry, Kanji-kun. Meeting's off," she told him.

Kanji almost choked. "What? Why?"

"Souji-senpai... he said he can't come today. Something about drama club." Rise smiled weakly. "Guess he forgot, huh?"

It took most of Kanji's limited self-control not to smash the table in half. "_Forgot_?"

Screw being passive. Screw waiting around for frickin' Souji. Kanji grit his teeth and shook his head - half in disbelief, half to shake out the anger - then shoved back the chair and stood up in a single motion. "C'mon, Rise. Gonna need your help."

"What're you--"

Kanji was already storming away through the food court, smacking into almost every table between him and the door, with Rise trotting after him and scattering apologies to customers on the way. As he headed towards the escalator that led up to the electronics department, she finally cottoned on - and grabbed his sleeve. "Oh, _no_. No way. You cannot be--"

"Rise, I gotta do this. An' I need you to come with me. We got the information, you just have to find him." Kanji stared down at her, putting everything he had into willing her to help. Rise didn't get enough credit for what she did. Without him, the team would be a bruiser short; without her, even with Teddie's nose, they'd never leave the lot.

"Don't you dare glare at me!" she snapped. Damn, it hadn't come out how he wanted at all. "You... you're such a jerk, Kanji-kun, and now I have to help you!" She shoved past him and walked up the escalator. Kanji suspected the elbow in his ribs was deliberate.

_Fine. _He followed her up, climbing the moving steps two at a time. Rise could kick up all the fuss she wanted, long as she went in with him. But two people wasn't enough, especially with one who couldn't fight, and they'd need a way to get back out.

... Yosuke worked at Junes on weekdays evenings. Always had to bribe someone into covering his shift whenever they went in the television. If Souji had canceled to go screw around at drama club, Yosuke'd be here. And wherever Yosuke went...

"Rise-chan!"

Kanji looked up. At the top of the escalator stood Teddie, clad in his Junes apron, jumping and waving. "Oh, Rise-chan! Seeing you makes my daily slavery so much--"

Rise growled and shoved past him. "Yosuke-senpai!"

Though Rise wasn't quite as scary as Chie when pissed off, she had her own special brand of vibrant terror. Yosuke, pushing a cart full of DVDs across the floor, nearly ran it into a shelving rack. "W-what? I didn't do anything!"

"That's right! You didn't tell Kanji-kun he's an idiot!" Rise pointed back at Kanji. "So get on with it!"

Teddie nodded, hands on hips. "Do as Rise-chan says, Yosuke! Whatever she's talking about!"

If anyone could get away with causing a scene, it was Rise. Celebrities were supposed to be nuts. Problem was, people were really starting to stare, and if she kept it up they'd get thrown out. "Dammit, Rise, keep it down!"

Rise shot Kanji another glare, but dropped the volume nonetheless. "Kanji-kun, we seriously, seriously can't do this." She folded her arms; it looked more nervous than indignant. "Not without Souji-senpai. And, and if we try, he's gonna be livid."

"Do what without Souji?" Yosuke arched an eyebrow at her. "And why's Kanji an idiot this time?"

"Shut up," Kanji snapped, rough-voiced and frustrated. "I'm sick of waiting around and doing nothing, alright? If Senpai gave a shit about Naoto then he'd--"

"Whoa, whoa. Wait a sec. What're we talking--" Yosuke stopped, his eyes widening. "Oh, you are _kidding_ me."

Kanji glared down at him. "Nope."

"Okay, Rise, I can see this from Kanji, but from _you_?"

"Yosuke-senpai, I have to. Kanji-kun knows that, the big _jerk_!" Rise's voice quavered. "It's my fault Naoto-kun's in there, I have to help him get out!"

One hand running through his hair, Yosuke glanced between them. "Guys, just listen. Chie was almost climbing the walls when Yukiko disappeared, I was freaked out too, but we didn't--"

"That was you," Kanji interrupted. "We ain't waiting."

"Look, Kanji," Yosuke began, palms raised, "I told you, I seriously do not know what's going on with Souji right now, but--"

Fists clenched tight, Kanji stepped closer. "Hell with him. You wanna save Naoto or what?"

**

* * *

**

"This is _such_ a bad idea," Yosuke muttered.

"You don't wanna be here, you know the way out," Kanji snapped back. Something was coiled tight in his stomach and he couldn't resist the urge to kick at the floor of the lot. Himiko shimmered behind Rise as she scanned, using the scraps of information they had as hooks to find Naoto's area of the television world.

"Are you kidding? If I let you wander off and get yourself killed, Souji'll kill me." Yosuke didn't even look that pissed off - just frustrated and nervous, constantly fiddling with the cable on his headphones. "Even if you _are_ being a bull-headed idiot."

Naoto was the bull-headed one. Getting himself thrown inside here, assuming he'd get rescued by a guy who thought prancing around at school clubs was more important than saving someone's life.

Souji Seta was an asshole.

"We can do this," Kanji insisted, jaw clenched. "We're gonna get Naoto and he's gonna be fine."

"Yeah. Because we've totally done this with three people, a scanner and no Souji before."

"I don't get it. Why didn't we tell Sensei we were going inside?" Up until then, Teddie had been unusually quiet. He hadn't even tried to hit on Rise. "I don't like this, Yosuke, it's bear-y strange."

Yosuke cringed. "Just some training, Ted."

"I think I've found him." Rise said, sounding relieved even through the quiver in her voice. "Kanji-kun... are you sure about this?"

The teachers at school had called Kanji dumb long as he could remember, and even he still knew this wasn't the smart thing to do. But it was the right one. He let out a long breath, then lifted his head. "Just show us where to go."

**

* * *

**

For somewhere they'd had such trouble finding, Naoto's area of the TV world was surprisingly close. Surprising all round, too. Unlike the other places Kanji had seen, both when training and on missions, this one didn't seem to have multiple floors - at least not going upwards. From the outside, it looked like a big metal bunker, two massive satellite dishes on top and hazard cones scattered around the portal door.

"Seriously sci-fi," Yosuke said, twirling one of his knives. "Looks like something from... you know, one of those live action shows. Featherman, maybe."

He had a point. Kanji had watched the show every week as a kid. He'd even tried to make himself a copy of the Red Hawk's outfit. "Yeah... a secret hideout. You see the eagle painted on the side?" It wasn't the Featherman logo, but it was close.

"Maybe Naoto likes that stuff," Rise suggested.

Yosuke looked the bunker up and down, then chuckled. "Huh. Guess our proper boy detective isn't as grown up as he looks." With a bright smile, he turned to face Rise and Teddie. "Well, we found it! Great job, guys! Now, let's go back."

"Do what you want," Kanji growled. "I'm going inside."

"Kanji, can't we just wait for Sensei?" Teddie pleaded. "Without him we're--"

"Wait for Souji, we'll wait forever. Naoto don't have that long."

"... Kanji-kun's right. Naoto-kun's already been in here a week. Remember how long it took us to get through Mitsuo's dungeon? Even though we knew where it was?" Rise took a deep breath, shoulders tensing. "We've gotta start somewhere," she added - then winced. "Even if Senpai's never gonna speak to me again, I have to do this."

"But Sensei's not here!" Teddie's voice was high and desperate. "Yosuke, what do we do?"

Yosuke looked from Rise to Kanji in turn, still twirling his knife, eyes narrowed - then shook his head. "Underclassmen," he muttered. "You're all nuts."

**

* * *

**

Take-Mikazuchi towering at his side, Kanji swung around, sent a bolt of Zio crashing down - and barely managed to dodge as it bounced right back off the Gigas.

This wasn't right. He'd seen these guys back in Mitsuo's place, or something like them. The team had hit those assholes with everything, no problem at all.

He glanced over at Yosuke, ready to tell him to run - and missed the rightmost Gigas charge forward. Still busted up from the last fight, Kanji couldn't move fast enough to dodge. The impact from the Gigas' fists almost shattered his shield and sent shockwaves vibrating along his arms.

This was only their third fight. They'd barely made it through the first two.

_Guys, I'm looking for an opening, hang tight!_ They'd left Rise alone back at the exit, something they'd never done before. Kanji was counting on nothing reaching her.

"_Jiraiya_!" A blast of wind rushed past, almost knocking Kanji aside, and hit the Gigas in the chest. The shadow barely even stumbled.

_Try ice! I think it'll hit too!_

Teddie had ice, but Rise should've known all his juice had gone on healing. Both Yosuke and Kanji had been pummeled almost to a pulp in the last fight. "Dammit, Rise, find us a way out!"

_Kanji-kun, I'm trying! I don't think we're up to fighting these guys, we shouldn't have--_

Mid-sentence, Rise's voice vanished. Kanji's stomach twisted.

He'd taken too many hits, was all. Just couldn't pay attention. Desperate, he raced forward and swiped his shield against the side of the smallest Gigas, thinking he'd take down at least one of them - but the blow didn't take. Kanji dodged the counterattack by mere centimeters, the shadow's fist breezing past his head. When he jumped back, the shield itself was dented.

One-on-one with a shadow this powerful, he didn't stand a chance.

Yosuke was still calling Jiraiya, now with Teddie cowering behind him - but neither him nor his Persona were made for heavy combat. He kept edging back towards the wall, Teddie in tow. Another Gigas had already moved behind them in the corridor, and without Rise to find them an opening...

Kanji growled deep in his throat and made a dash for the nearest shadow. "_Mighty Swing_!"

Take-Mikazuchi materialized behind him, the air crackling with electricity, and rushed alongside him. Kanji skidded to a halt and punched towards the floor. His Persona mimicked the movement, smashing a fist down against the Gigas.

It wasn't enough. The shadow staggered back but didn't fall - and the attack had drained Kanji more than he'd expected. Dizzy and disorientated, he darted left when he meant to move right, didn't raise his shield in time. The last thing he saw was the flash of black and yellow rushing towards him, before everything went dark.

**

* * *

**

Light erupted in front of him - but when his eyelids flew open, all Kanji saw was a blurred mess of colors. There were voices, too, but they sounded like their owners were underwater, or maybe Kanji was, he couldn't tell. He was lying on his back, and whatever was beneath him was softer and more uneven than the metal floors of the base. Every muscle in his body ached.

Gradually, the voices became clearer - Kanji swore he recognized them - and the smudged edges in his field of vision began to sharpen and contract. He blinked, twice, and the dark shape right above him resolved into a completely expressionless Souji Seta.

"Kanji," he said, slow and eerily calm, "what were you doing?" His outline was framed by the red and black sky behind him; they were outside the base.

At first, Kanji's voice wouldn't come. When it did, it was scratchy and weak. "We... we were getting Naoto."

Souji nodded. "Uh-huh. And how'd it go?"

Kanji thought of the Gigas shadows; of the empty spot in his mind when Rise's voice disappeared; of Teddie and Yosuke pinned against the pipes on the corridor wall.

He didn't answer, instead trying to looking around for the others - but Souji grabbed him by his shirt collar. "You're an idiot, Kanji," he snapped. "I knew this would happen!"

"You... you knew we'd go in?"

"No! I didn't think you were all so damn--" Souji stopped dead, every muscle in his face tensing - though there was more feeling in his eyes than Kanji could ever recall seeing. When he spoke again, his voice was level and quiet. "Even without me there, you should've been able to make it through three fights. I knew we weren't ready for this."

"Good for you, Senpai," Kanji muttered between his teeth, forcing himself to sit up and wincing at the burst of pain in his head. "Now go get the others and we'll go back in there!"

"Kanji, listen for once." Souji's hands gripped his shoulders. "We're not ready. You almost got yourself killed on the first floor. We barely made it through Kubo's world and we haven't trained since. We're not _ready_."

"Because you keep waiting around! I don't get it. Why're you... he, he's stuck in here, and you don't even care!"

Souji's face was terrifyingly still. "Don't _ever_ say that."

"So why haven't we _got _him yet?" If someone was in trouble, and you cared, you went right in and helped them. No messing around. "Why're you goin' to school clubs instead of fighting?"

"I... I have to. I can't tell you exactly why. Believe me, there's a good reason, and it's also why you're still alive," Souji added quietly. "But that's finished for now. We just need to train."

"_What_?"

"We did the same thing before Kubo, remember? Five days worth."

"Naoto's different!" Now on his feet, Kanji glared down at him. "This is bullshit. Senpai, you, you got Personas coming out your damn ears, you've got it together, you can handle anything!"

"I can't, Kanji, especially not by myself. I need the rest of you. We owe it to Naoto to get this right."

"But you're just-- he's still--"

Souji leaned closer, voice dropping to a near-whisper. "Remember all those rumors about you bullying other kids? How I came and checked your story first?"

"So?"

"I believed in you. I gave you the benefit of the doubt. Do the same for me."

Kanji couldn't hold Souji's gaze. He turned his head, gulping down his protests. Yosuke, Teddie and Rise were huddled together a few meters away, under a tree. All three were staring.

Souji took silence as confirmation. "Just trust me." He turned to the others. "Come on. Let's head back."

All five started walking - Teddie hanging close to Souji, Yosuke a few steps behind, and Rise bringing up the rear with Himiko floating at her side. Kanji fell into line with her, trying to match her pace. "Rise, listen--"

"Not now, Kanji-kun." Her voice was tight and cracked at the edges. "Senpai's already... just, not now, okay?"

They stayed in silence till they reached the studio lot. Souji, Teddie and Rise each jumped out in turn - but Yosuke paused by the television and looked over his shoulder. "You'll probably punch me for this, Kanji... but you're an idiot."

"Yeah." Kanji swallowed. "I screwed up. Senpai's pissed."

"Huh... you think you got bitched out badly, wait till he talks to me," Yosuke muttered. His expression turned sheepish. "I... I called him before we went in. Left a message, just in case. Probably figured that out, huh?

Kanji hadn't. Wasn't worth getting angry anyway, not when Souji had saved their asses. Just like always.

"Kanji... I get how you feel, kind of. Trust me on that. But dude, it's screwed up that you're like this over Naoto-kun." Yosuke hesitated, watching him carefully. "And... I'm not just talking about the guy thing. You don't even _know_ him."

There was a smart response to that, one that'd prove Yosuke wrong. But when Kanji hadn't even known enough about Naoto to help find him, what was the point in lying?

Outside of Junes, Souji told them to go home and get some rest. "We'll train for the next few days, make it intensive." His gaze settled on Kanji. "If we really put the effort in, we'll be able to make this work."

And thinking about it, it was a great idea. Made a lot of sense. Shadow forms were hard to take down and the team needed to get through the rest of Naoto's base as quickly and easily as possible. So Kanji nodded, told Souji he was totally right, said goodbye to Rise and Yosuke, then walked down the alley behind Junes and punched the wall so hard his knuckles bled.

* * *

**October 6th 2011**

They'd had two straight days of rain; the heavy stuff, too, which had never been good news.

_That's fine_, Souji had said when it first set in. Sometimes rain was just rain. Still plenty of time to get Naoto. Except, looking outside his bedroom window now, Kanji couldn't see anything but fog.

The sound of the rain hammering against the roof had stopped less than an hour ago, just before midnight. Real fog never crept on this quick. But Senpai knew what he was doing - Kanji had been stupid to ever question that - and he'd said they were done with training now. They'd go back in the television tomorrow after school, bust their way through that secret base, find Naoto and bring him back. Kanji kept telling himself this all night, thinking about what he'd say to Naoto when they did - right up until the moment when he looked out the window into the early morning sun, and saw the slight body hanging from the telephone wires high above the district.

* * *

**September 23rd 2011**

Kanji eyes snapped open.

His breathing was shallow, ragged - like his ribs were crushing his lungs - but he still bolted upright in bed and looked toward the calendar. Friday... September 23rd. Outside, he could see the dawn sky was clear of clouds.

Holding his breath, Kanji walked to the window, leaned over the sewing table and stared up at the wires.

Nothing there. It hadn't happened. Kanji wasn't entirely sure why he thought it had.

But it could. After four days of training he felt stronger than ever, but angrier and tighter too, as if all his muscles had coiled up like springs. Souji still hadn't said when they'd go get Naoto. Maybe Kanji was just too dumb to understand - but even Chie and Yosuke were restless now, and Rise had been strung out since their first attempt.

He flopped back down on his futon, unwilling and unable to go back to sleep, and wondered how he could ask Souji what the hell was going on without losing his rag completely. Minutes later, his phone buzzed against the table - and when Kanji picked it up, Souji's number was at the top of the screen, a text message beneath.

_We're ready. Meet at Junes, after school._


	12. Chapter 10

_A/N: LONGEST CHAPTER EVER. Sorry, everyone. I have trouble reading 5000+ word chapters, so writing one is poor form.  
_

_Story so far: Patience exhausted, Kanji tried to play the hero and screwed it all up. Souji, true to form, bailed him out (but may or may not have done the same for Naoto)_

_In this part: Robots are made of plastic, Chie kicks off heads, Naoto's a jerk - and the team find out a little secret.  
_

* * *

**September 23rd 2011**

"So this is it, huh?" Chie tipped back her head, watching the blinking lights on the roof of the metal bunker. "Not what I expected. I figured it'd be like an old detective movie, not a military base."

"Well, that's the point," Yukiko said. "These worlds, they're always something the owner's kept hidden."

Yosuke smirked. "Guess Naoto's deep, dark secret is that he wants to be a Featherman Ranger."

The conversation continued, but Kanji was too caught up to listen. He had the impression Souji still hadn't forgiven him. Rise _definitely_ hadn't. Worse, he kept coming back to last night's dream. He could remember every detail, from the feel of the air outside, to the exact color of the sky, to the way the body had been twisted as if-

He shook his head. It hadn't happened. Just his mind working overtime, making him unsettled - and it didn't help that Souji's decision to tackle the base had come out of nowhere. They were supposed to head back to Void Quest today. Kanji wasn't complaining, though, not if it finally meant they'd get to Naoto. It just felt really weird - and the dream had felt more real than any other he'd had.

"Kanji, you're on the first team." Souji didn't turn to look at him. "You too, Chie, and Yukiko."

"C'mon, Souji," Yosuke whined. "You benched me for most of Kubo's. When do I get a shot?"

Usually, Souji would've rolled his eyes and told Yosuke to stop fussing; maybe even made light of it. Instead, he walked toward the entrance to the base and stepped through the portal without a word. Chie and Yukiko followed close behind.

Kanji couldn't even figure out why Souji had picked him after the stupid shit he'd pulled. It'd seemed so right at the time - he'd take everyone in, and they'd go find Naoto, kick his Shadow's ass and bring him back, because that was how it always worked.

At least, if you were Souji Seta. If you were smart.

Kanji glanced back at Rise, and Teddie standing behind her, then followed the others through.

* * *

"Whoa." Chie was bent double, hands on her knees. "I'll give Naoto-kun credit. He _really_ doesn't want us here."

"No kidding," Kanji grunted. They'd heard the same thing every time they descended another floor: a metallic voice from somewhere in the walls, like a much louder version of the Junes P.A. system. It'd started out just telling them to leave, but by the fourth flight of stairs it'd decided they needed some help. Straight out of a fight with four Wild Drives and a trio of Mighty Beasts right before that, the whole team was in rough shape.

Souji tilted his head, face tinted green by the lighting overhead. "Rise, do we have some breathing space?"

_Nothing near you right now, guys. Just another really big door up at the end of the corridor. Locked, like the last one._

"Again?" Kanji's first instinct had been to smash the door to pieces, but like almost everything else in this place it was built of metal and rivets. He'd have either broken his shield - which Daidara had only just fixed up - or shaken his teeth out.

"Like I said, Naoto-kun's trying to keep us out. Remind me to kick him later," Chie added with a growl.

Kanji was about to tell Chie she'd have to join the damn queue when a wave washed over him, heating up his skin and easing the scrapes and bruises. Always reminded him of sitting round a campfire. "Thanks, Yukiko-senpai."

"No problem, Kanji-kun." Yukiko was already casting on Chie, Amaterasu floating semi-transparent behind her. "I wonder if the last door mattered? We still found a way down here."

"Everything has a purpose," Souji pointed out. "At least in these places. Let's check out the door."

They edged closer. Last time the door had started yelling at them when they were just over a meter away; even Souji had flinched.

Again, the voice echoed from the walls, even though there was no visible source. _"BEYOND THIS POINT IS CONFIDENTIAL." _

Hands on hips, Chie groaned. "Here we go again."

_"ENTRY IS FORBIDDEN FOR ORDINARY COMBATANTS AND RESEARCHERS. PLEASE PRESENT YOUR ID."_

"Who're you calling ordinary?" Kanji snapped - immediately feeling a little stupid - then growled under his breath. "Same damn thing as last time!"

"No... that 'researchers' part is different. And the last door said it lead to a research area." Souji looked away, gaze fixed on a point somewhere in mid-air. "Rise, did we miss any other paths?"

_Just one, Senpai. But all I'm seeing down there is a chest... no other exits._

He shrugged. "Might be something useful. Come on, guys."

They traced back their steps, Rise checking the area for any stray shadows, and made their way down the dead-end walkway. Reaching the chest first, Chie knelt down and lifted the lid. Kanji couldn't see what she pulled out until she turned around, holding a small blue plastic card in her hand. The word _RESEARCH_ was scrawled across it in shaky capitals, in what looked like a little kid's handwriting.

She shook her head and let out a deep sigh. "Man, I never get the good stuff!"

"Wait, Chie - remember that first door? It said it was to the research area, and that card's-"

"Well, _duh_, Yukiko_._ I figured that out already. Not just good for kicking things." Chie grimaced, flipping the card between her fingers. "Despite what Hanamura says."

"You sure it's not for the door we were just at?" Kanji really hoped it was, because the thought of fighting back through two floors made shaking out his teeth seem like a great option.

Souji nodded. "Forbidden for researchers, remember?" He heaved his sword to his side. "Looks like we're heading back up."

* * *

To Rise's credit, they reached the door with relatively little trouble. She kept them dodging round corners and through empty corridors, only wound up in two very brief battles on the way back.

_"ENTRY IS FORBIDDEN FOR ORDINARY COMBATANTS. PLEASE PRESENT YOUR ID."_

"Anything behind there, Rise?" Souji asked quietly.

_Nope... but I can feel something strong further inside. I think it's one of the special shadows. Be careful, okay?_

"Figures," Kanji muttered. Same way it always worked. Midway through the floors, they had to fight a powerful shadow, the first layer of a person's psyche; peel that away and they'd clear the path to Naoto's real Shadow, his true self.

"Let's get this over with." Souji pulled the card from his pocket and swiped it in the reader.

At first, nothing happened. Souji had just lifted his hand to swipe the card a second time when a deep, hollow rumble of turning gears set the floor vibrating beneath their feet - and, with the grinding of metal on metal, the door slid open in two separate sections. Behind, there was just another walkway, identical to the rest. "Don't look much like a research area to me," Kanji said.

_Guys, there should be a door up ahead on your left. Don't go in till you're ready to fight. I'm positive the shadow's there._

The four of them moved down the walkway in near silence, passing more Featherman symbols and flashing red lights, and paused outside the door. "Everyone ready?" Souji whispered.

Three nods came in turn. Souji gave them one of his own - then slammed his palm against the button on the wall.

Again, the door shuddered open, only slightly less loudly than the last. Kanji moved in first, shield already raised, the others following close behind - and stopped.

"You're kidding me," he muttered.

"And I thought Rise's was weird," mused Chie.

"Pretty sure I've got a model kit like that," Souji added, eyebrows raised.

The shadow wasn't just a giant red robot. It was a giant red robot that Kanji swore he'd once seen turn into a truck on a television show. It looked like it should be made of plastic and sold in Junes. It was also carrying a giant sword, which it raised high into the air as soon as it noticed the team.

Souji yelled at them all to scatter, Kanji leapt to his left - and felt the whistle of air as the blade missed him by centimeters and crashed into the floor.

_No weaknesses, guys, no strengths either. Hammer it!_

Kanji called Take-Mikazuchi before he even made it to his feet. _"Ziodyne!"_

New one. He'd picked it up during training, almost felt his skin buzz the first time he used it. The bolt - sharper and brighter - crashed into the robot, knocking it back. Kanji would've assumed that electricity would mess a machine up bad, but nothing ever made sense inside the television. Maybe the thing really _was_ made of plastic.

Chie ran forward from behind him, jumped, then launched into a kick that should've snapped her leg in half. Instead she smashed a hole clean through the robot's armored chest. Souji must've powered her up.

_Kanji-kun, this...uh, robot thing, it uses charges. Senpai's working support. We're counting on you and Chie-senpai to smack it down, okay?_

It was the first time Rise had spoken to him in nearly a week. "Gotcha," Kanji answered, raising his shield for another attack.

This time, he didn't summon. Big mistake. The robot swiped its sword in a wide arc, caught him with the flat of the blade - about all he had to be grateful for - and hurled him into the wall.

He cursed out loud when he hit the ground, mouth watering with pain. A dull, cold throb gripped the back of his calf as he tried to stand, but he still threw himself into a half-stumble back towards the robot. Halfway there he smashed his card and called for Take-Mikazuchi, feeling warm heat course through his leg at the same time.

Across the room, Yukiko shot him a smile. Kanji grinned back - and fired off another Ziodyne. His reward was a metallic shriek, layered with the spluttering crackle of electricity over metal, as the robot almost toppled backward.

Chie whooped, punching the air. "Good one, Kanji!"

Now angry, or scared, or whatever the hell shadows felt, the robot lashed out blindly. Yukiko was fast enough to jump back. Souji wasn't. Yatagarasu took the worst of the hit - Senpai would be in two separate chunks otherwise - but he still fell hard, blood spraying over the metal floor.

_Souji-senpai's down! And the shadow's powering up!_

The robot paused, arms and legs beginning to glow. Didn't move even when Chie smashed a Black Spot directly against its head. Take-Mikazuchi and Suzuka Gongen were both bruisers, with no way to drain the charge; the best option Kanji had was to block. The right thing to do, though, was to run over and take the hit for Yukiko. She was right next to Souji on the floor, Amaterasu at her side.

But what Kanji _wanted _to do - just for a instant, and even though it was Yukiko - was let her take it and finish the shadow himself. Save time, go get Naoto.

...Screw that. Kanji might've been an idiot, but he wasn't an asshole. He sprinted towards Souji, summoning as he ran - leaving Take-Mikazuchi to drive a fist straight into the robot's abdomen just before it slashed down its sword. At the same time, Kanji skidded in front of Yukiko, already feeling a burst of fear, then cursed under his breath and thrust his shield over his head.

The blade almost cleaved it in two - but it held.

Souji was back on his feet, a different Persona floating behind him. Kanji couldn't remember the name. Whatever it was called, it had a pumpkin for a head. Man, Senpai had some _really_ stupid-looking Personas.  
_  
Almost there, guys. Hit it with everything you have!_

"Chie, Kanji, push for another attack! Yukiko, Agidyne!" Souji yelled. _"Masukukaja!"_

Limbs instantly lighter, Kanji hurtled towards the shadow, firing off two Ziodynes in quick succession. The first deflected off the robot's sword - but the second slammed directly into the dent Chie had left in its chest.

It shrieked again, a high-pitched buzzing squeal. The sound cut off instantly when Chie almost _flew_ across the room in a flying kick, legs glowing with a power charge, and caught the robot in the neck. Its head rocked sideways - snapped wires and piping visible underneath - and, with a burst of static and a crunch of metal, tore off and crashed to the ground.

Kanji blinked. "Holy crap, Chie-senpai."

As she picked herself up from the floor, Chie gave him a sheepish smile. "Wow. Didn't expect that one to work."

"I know Naoto's made things difficult," Souji said, "but try not to do that to him."

Looking at the wreckage of the robot, Kanji almost felt bad; like he'd just smashed up a kid's toy. Stupid, given the thing had tried to kill him. He wandered over to Yukiko, who was kneeling by the robot's head and holding a red card, same size as the blue one with the same shaky handwriting. _LEADER_. Underneath was another falcon crest and what looked like a crudely-drawn picture of Souji.

"Why's _he_ on there?" Kanji muttered - thankfully under his breath, since Souji chose that moment to walk up behind him.

"Enough for today, guys," he said. "We'll finish up tomorrow."

"Senpai, you serious? We're close!" Kanji shook his head fiercely. "You send back Chie-senpai and Yukiko-senpai, pull up Teddie and Yosuke, we'll do this!"

Chie made an indignant noise in her throat. "Tatsumi, are you saying you can handle more than me? Because-"

"We're _leaving_," Souji said firmly. "I'm drained too, and Kanji, don't pretend you're not tired. We'll be back tomorrow, I promise. You'll be on the team."

Frustration and impatience both reared up again - and somewhere at the back of his mind, Kanji could still see a body hanging from the telephone wires. But he also remembered Souji asking for his trust.

He swallowed, throat tight. "Okay, Senpai. You better stick to that."

Souji looked him in the eye. "No delays. Not this time."

* * *

**September 24th 2011**

"Can't believe he benched me." Kanji aimed another kick at the studio lot floor. "What a load of crap."

Yosuke was already lying down with his arms spread out behind his head. He'd taken up the position soon as they'd entered the television; it almost matched the bodies outlined beneath him. "Try being me, Kanji. Jiraiya's probably forgotten who I am." He sighed. "I'll call the big guy up and he'll smack my head off."

Kanji hesitated. "Uh... did Senpai leave you here... is it because of what I did? Goin' in without him?"

"Nah. He's been doing this ever since we got Rise. Wish I knew why."

"You're already pretty strong, Yosuke-senpai." Even when concentrating on the team, Rise couldn't stand to be left out of a conversation. "Souji-senpai probably wants to get everyone up to speed."

"Well... just in case it is down to me... sorry, man." Saying it didn't change anything, but Kanji felt a little better. "You too, Rise."

After a few seconds silence, Rise nodded, Himiko's visor following the motion. "No worries, Kanji. You didn't force me into it, you know?"

Yosuke just shrugged. "Both of you wanted to help Naoto, I wanted Rise not to kill me. Guess we all had our reasons."

The conversation died out after that. Kanji didn't know how to restart it, Rise was scanning, and Yosuke seemed vaguely miserable. Hours seemed to pass before Rise finally spoke.

"Okay, they're on their way back. Senpai says you both need to get ready. He wants you on the team to fight Naoto's Shadow."

Souji had remembered. Kanji couldn't hide his grin. "Awesome!"

Yosuke, meanwhile, just stared at Rise in disbelief. "_Me_? Are you sure your ears are working?"

"Yes, Yosuke-senpai." Himiko's visor vanished, and Rise shot him a glare. "Now, get up off the floor."

* * *

"Naoto-kun's definitely inside, guys." Rise stood with them this time, Himiko floating behind her in the corridor. "But there's something different. I think his Shadow's there too."

"Figures." Souji turned to the team. "Get ready. Going by past example, we'll have to fight it."

"You know, I wish humans would just learn to accept themselves," Teddie lamented, with a heavy sigh.

Yosuke rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because we didn't fight a creepy giant bear a few months ago."

"We gonna stand out here and talk?" Kanji snapped. "C'mon, let's get this over with!"

Souji gave a quick nod, then slammed his hand against the door control. It rumbled open, the two sections sliding apart.

The team ran inside - and out onto a wide metal platform, same green light overhead. The area around them was crammed full of machines and monitors, each one buzzing or beeping or rattling, but the opposite side of the chamber looked like an operating theatre. Bright white floodlights overhead, a buzzsaw and drill hanging either side of a long steel table, all stained with blood - and, standing in front, two Naotos.

Kanji stopped short, Chie almost slamming into his back. "Naoto!"

The Naotos looked to be in the middle of an argument - good luck with _that_, Kanji thought - but on hearing his name, the nearest one turned around. His expression was perfectly blank. "It's about time you arrived," he said flatly. "Dealing with this child has been quite a pain."

Not a scrap of gratitude. Figured, but at least he sounded okay.

The other Naoto looked up too, startled, and grabbed the first one's arm. He wore a lab-coat far too big for his frame, the sleeves completely covering his hands, and his eyes were bright yellow. Naoto's Shadow, then. And he was _sobbing_. "No! No, no, don't go!"

Naoto stared at the floor, not even trying to pull away; looking closely, Kanji noticed his legs trembling. "This is useless. I need to go back now."

The Shadow's shoulders shook, tears streaming down his face and soaking into the fabric of his coat. "Why? Why are you leaving me here? Why am I always left alone?"

Though Naoto's lips moved, Kanji was too far away to hear what he said. Whatever it was, it only made the Shadow sob harder. "It's s-so lonely, I don't wanna be alone!"

In response, Naoto just rolled his eyes.

Kanji didn't know what was worse: the fact that he almost felt more sorry for the Shadow than for Naoto, or the fact that the Shadow _was _Naoto, that this was what went on inside the kid's head. His stomach knotted, a ball of lead weighing him down.

Yukiko murmured something beside him and moved to step forward, halted by Chie's arm around her waist. "Wait, Yukiko. We gotta let this play out, remember?"

"I see you still wear the same face as me," Naoto said, louder now, tone not quite level. "But the similarities end there. The difference between me and you is-"

"Differences? Why delude yourself? I _am_ you." The Shadow switched voices seamlessly, into the same deep, exaggerated tone he'd used on the Midnight Channel. He turned to the team, casting one sleeve toward himself. "These childish gestures are no mere affectation - they're the truth!"

For a moment, Naoto looked horrified. He grabbed the Shadow's arm and pulled him back, hissing something under his breath.

"What?" the Shadow sneered. "The fools all say it, don't they? 'You're only a child,' 'Keep out of our business, kid' - doesn't that sound familiar?"

"That, that has nothing to do-"

"But it's the key to everything, isn't it? No matter how many cases you spend hours cogitating over, no matter how many crimes you solve, you're a child in their eyes! It's only your brain they're interested in, the grey matter locked up in that skull." The Shadow swung an arm towards the team. "Just like _them_."

Naoto's eyes followed the gesture - and Kanji was terrified he'd be crying, just like his Shadow had. Seeing the same blank stare was somehow much worse.

He lurched forward. "Naoto, that ain't true, don't-"

"Kanji." Souji's hand was on his shoulder. "We didn't interrupt yours either, remember? We can't."

Dammit. It'd been the same with Rise's, and Kubo's. Kanji straightened his back, his muscles taut.

"An impeccable performance, Naoto-kun. You've demonstrated how very, very clever you are, and how utterly wrong these children were. I'm sure they're all _quite_ intimidated." The Shadow draped a sleeve over Naoto's shoulder. "What happens now?"

Naoto opened his mouth slightly, as if to respond - then closed it and looked away.

"Oh, but you already know!" the Shadow trilled. "As long as people need your talents, you're an ace detective - but when you're done, out the door you go."

The two of them still faced the team - one sneering, the other staring at the floor. Naoto ducked his head, eyes totally hidden under the brim of his cap, and the Shadow shoved him aside with a snarl. "And yet the outcome surprises you, _every single time_! Society is two-faced and playing pretend does nothing to deal with that. The _real_ adults will always win - and you, you're just a lonely child!"

Kanji winced.

It didn't make sense. 'Lonely' was someone who wanted friends but didn't know how to find them. It wasn't a kid who acted ice-cold and pushed everyone away. Above all, it wasn't Naoto.

At his side, Yosuke then glanced at him, then Souji, and ran a hand through his hair. "I _really_ hate this part."

Naoto hadn't spoken since the start of the Shadow's rant. He just stood there, looking pale, shoulders slumped, never quite looking at either the team or his Shadow. The latter watched Naoto carefully for a few moments - before his expression changed again, his whole face seeming to shift under the green and white light. He started to cry, his whole body jerking with sobs as he rubbed his sleeves against his eyes.

Kanji felt Rise grab his hand. "I don't want to see this," she murmured. "Kubo was different. I-I don't think we should be-"

"We _have_ to," Chie insisted. "I didn't want to see Yukiko's, or yours, or Kanji's - but you can't accept your Shadow without confronting it. Naoto-kun's no different."

"I-I wanna be a grown-up!" The Shadow choked, voice higher than ever. "I wanna be a big boy right now, then, then they'll see - I'll show them who I am! I...I want a reason for me to stay!"

"That's enough! I can find my own reason for living!"

"Impossible, Naoto-kun. You are but a child." Another seamless shift - and with a tip of his head, the Shadow curled his lips into a sneer. "How can you change that essential truth?"

Naoto's fists balled at his sides. "S-Stop it...!"

"Simply put, you cannot. You idolize the sort of 'strong' and 'cool' men who populate detective fiction, but for all your efforts to emulate them, all your attempts to dissemble, you know full well you're nothing of the sort." The Shadow stepped forward, placing both hands firmly on Naoto's shoulders. "You're a _child_."

Naoto's hands unfurled from fists and flew to cover his ears. "Don't! Don't you dare call-"

The sentence stopped short. Naoto shot the briefest of glance at the team - then stepped back, dropped his hands, and clamped one firmly against his hip. The same practiced pose Kanji had seen before. It hadn't been convincing even then.

"Endless affectations," the Shadow clucked, scowling. "But there's no avoiding first principles. Admit that you're a child, and admit that there's nothing you can do about it!" He spun towards the operating table, lab-coat twirling around him. "Now then! Our analysis is complete. Let us begin the body alteration procedure!"

Chie sucked in a breath. "Wait, is that what the drill's for?"

"We gotta do something!" hissed Kanji. "_Your_ Shadow ever try to chop you up?"

Across the room, the Shadow was perched on the table and smirking at Naoto. "So strong! So silent! Presumably you have no objections... 'Naoto' Shirogane."

Naoto twisted oddly, like one half of him wanted to do something but the other didn't - and the movement ended in a foot stamped hard against the floor. _"Stop it!" _

The Shadow just chuckled and rocked back on the table, heels kicking against the side. "'Naoto'... such a cool, manly name! But a name doesn't change the truth. It doesn't let you cross the barrier between the sexes!"

Kanji blinked. Beside him, Souji drew a sharp breath. Naoto, meanwhile, had turned away completely.

Barrier between...?

Nah. No way. He'd just heard that wrong.

The Shadow leaned forward, chin resting on its hand, eyes wide and curious. "Tell me, Naoto-kun...how could you become an ideal man when you were never male to begin with?"

For several moments, nobody moved. Or breathed.

Yosuke was the first to regain the power of speech - sort of. "Wait, what... ? Did he - did I hear that right?"

Kanji, whose brain had seized up completely, didn't fare much better. "H-He's not a guy?"

"I _knew_ it!" Teddie chirped from somewhere behind Souji. "Teddie always knows a- ow, Sensei!"

Still turned away, Naoto pulled off his hat and ran his hand through his disheveled hair. "I won't throw a tantrum," he hissed. "That accomplishes nothing!"

The Shadow's deep, manic laugh echoed through the chamber. "Ah, how often I've heard those words from the adults! 'Throwing a tantrum won't solve anything, Naoto-kun,' and other such bilge!" He jumped down from the table and sauntered over to Naoto. "They made you cry, didn't they?"

Naoto just shivered, gaze fixed firmly at a point on the right wall.

"Yet here you are, mimicking those same men. What _exactly _are you trying to justify?"

"What... ?" Judging by the shift in stance, if Naoto had been anyone else, Kanji would've expected him to barrel forward and punch his Shadow out cold.

Wait. Her. Maybe?

"It's all right. You needn't suffer anymore." The Shadow's voice was smooth, almost gentle. He trailed a finger under Naoto's chin. "That's why you're undergoing this bodily alteration procedure. That's why you need to be fixed - and then everything will be so much better."

Alteration procedure. Not just turning Naoto into an adult, but turning him - turning her -

Kanji grimaced. Sooner they fought this thing, the better. Smashing it up would be nice and simple.

"I-I don't want..." Naoto edged away, glancing from the Shadow to the team and back again - before shaking his head, then wiping his hand over his face.

"You throw a tantrum, but it fails to change the situation a single bit!" The Shadow tutted sadly. "I can quite understand the feeling." Eyes glowing brighter than ever, he paused, tipped his head, and smirked. "After all, I _am_ you."

Naoto blinked. For a split-second, he looked lost - then shocked, then, finally, furious. _"That's not true!"_

Guy really _did_ sound like a girl there, Kanji thought, and inwardly kicked himself.

Chie lunged forward. "No, Naoto-kun, don't say it!" This time, she tried to run ahead, but Kanji blocked her with one arm held out straight.

He'd wanted to intervene before, too, swoop in and save Naoto. But save him from what? Finally manning up and facing his problems?

...Manning up. Kanji wanted to laugh, thought it really wasn't funny.

"It's okay," he insisted. Hell, they sat through this same routine every single time. No point dragging it out. "Let the kid spill the whole thing. If not, Naoto's gonna keep hurting. We'll just do our job and kick the Shadow's ass, yeah?"

Hands still curled into fists, Naoto glanced over his shoulder at Kanji, a totally unfamiliar expression on his face.

Her face. Kanji would have to keep that in mind.

He lifted his shield and shot the Shadow a glare. The sole response was another hysterical laugh. "As if you know anything about me! You'll kick my ass, huh? Go ahead and try, you lizard-brained imbecile!"

Fine, the words weren't actually Naoto's. That didn't keep Kanji from feeling a little hurt - something he pushed aside for future deep contemplation when the floor around the Shadow began to turn black. Dark fog rose up from the metal and swirled thickly around the Shadow's legs, spiralling up until even the yellow glow of his eyes disappeared.

Yosuke pushed past, knives raised. "Save the discussion for later!"

Souji's card was already in his hand. "Kanji, Yosuke, up front! Yukiko, with me! The rest of you, behind!"

"Here it comes!" Rise yelled, just before the thick mass of fog burst open.

The blast sent the real Naoto flying as his true Shadow leapt into the air... still looking very much like Naoto. Or half-Naoto, half-robot. One side of its face jet black, the other all metal and wires, wings sprouting from its back and torches firing from its feet. Kanji made a mental note to look for this one in the Junes toy department too as he darted across the room to grab Naoto from the floor.

He - she, whatever - was out cold, hat beside his head. Picking up both it and its owner, Kanji finally realized why the latter looked so odd without it. Almost like a girl.

_Save it for later, Tatsumi. _He'd already promised himself he'd kick Naoto's ass then too, as payback for this whole stupid stunt. "Keep an eye on him," he told Chie, leaving Naoto with her and running back to the fight.

The Shadow's head whirred as it tracked the team's movements. It raised one arm, leveling its gun at the center of the group - and when it spoke, it was in the same deep voice as before. "Are you sick of yourselves too? We'll soon fix that. Let's begin the special operation!"

"Bring it on, man!" Kanji snapped. "I'll pull you through this!"

At least, he intended to. He just didn't want to hit something that looked so much like Naoto.

Rise's Shadow hadn't resembled her at all. Kubo's had been even weirder; not that Kanji would've minded beating up on him. Would've been awesome stress relief. But Naoto was different, and - caught up in indecision - Kanji missed his cue completely. He should've followed through on Yosuke's first attack, but instead he froze - and the Shadow plunged down and rocketed towards him, one wing clipping him round the head and knocking him to the floor.

His ears were ringing, Souji was yelling, and Rise had just started up too. A stream of fire burst over his head, earning a metallic shriek.

_Kanji, get it together! Use elemental attacks!  
_  
Take-Mikazuchi was already at his side as he scrambled to his feet. Kanji couldn't remember calling him. _"Ziodyne!"_

The bolt slammed home, knocking the Shadow off course on another barrel roll towards Souji. Yosuke and Jiraiya followed up with a blast of wind that threw it across the room. The one advantage of its resemblance to Naoto was the similarity in size. Compared to giant robots and pixel monsters, it should've been an easy takedown.

Unfortunately, the Shadow was _fast_. It crashed into a metal girder, hit the floor, and instantly shot into the air. When it raised its laser pistol, Kanji raised his shield in turn - but instead of the heat of a laser blast, shards of ice hammered against the metal. Somewhere behind him, Yukiko let out a cry of pain.

"Rise, dammit," he hissed. "You never told us it used ice!"

_I didn't know! I didn't think it could... but Senpai's got Yukiko, you just worry about hitting it!_

That, he could handle. Kanji ran forward and smashed his shield against the Shadow's left side just as Yosuke slashed through its right. Wires and gears crunched together, some falling to the floor.

Buzzing and whirring, the Shadow recoiled. It turned to Kanji - looking far too much like Naoto - and shook its head.

_"This will never do,"_ it insisted. _"Patients must lie still for me to drill proper holes into-"_

Another jet of fire, straight past Kanji's right shoulder and into the Shadow's chest. It jerked back in a squeal of high-pitched static. When it hit the floor, his first instinct was to pull it up.

Stupid. This wasn't Naoto. Nothing like him. Kanji grit his teeth, lifted his shield, and smashed it down against the Shadow's head. Black ichor oozed out from one side, sparks firing out from the other.

_Good one, Kanji! Senpai's on debuffs, you and Yosuke-senpai keep smashing it. Yukiko-senpai's got your back._

Kanji nodded, mouth dry. He figured he should hit the Shadow again, but it just kept jerking and twisting against the floor, electricity crackling over its arms and legs. Swallowing hard, he lifted his shield for another attack - and the Shadow shot up and knocked it from his hands. The last thing he remembered after that was the flash of light above his head, just before an energy blast threw him so far back he almost slammed into the door they'd come in by.

Take-Mikazuchi started up a wordless stream of anger that bounced off the inside of his skull. Kanji settled for lying on the floor and trying not to move. He could hear the fight raging behind him: rushing flames, shattering ice, buzzes and crackles and beeps.

Stupid true Shadow. Shouldn't look so much like its owner. Kanji couldn't remember his being like him.

"Kanji! Wake up!"

He'd been out for most of that one, though.

"Tatsumi, you pick yourself up _right now_!"

Kanji's eyes cracked open. Overhead, Chie blurred in and out of his vision, looking increasingly pissed off each time. "Mm..wasurr?"

She shook him by the shoulders. "C'mon, get up! They need you!"

"Mmmrgg," Kanji managed. He tipped his head sideways and saw Naoto sprawled on the floor to his right, still out cold.

"Oh, for crying... Teddie, get over here," Chie muttered, frowning down at him. "Teddie'll help you. I'll fill your spot. Soon as you feel like getting up and doing something, let me know, okay?"

Kanji let out a grunt he hoped she'd interpret as agreement. Chie frowned again, shook her head, then vanished, leaving him blinking at the ceiling.

Footsteps squeaked to his left. "Kanji! What's... ooh, _that_ doesn't look good. Hold still, 'kay?"

A cool wave washed over Kanji's skin - like plunging into the river in the summer - and his arms and legs stopped being made out of lead. "What... what the hell was that?" he grumbled, trying and failing to sit up.

"Naoto zapped you." Teddie glanced at the limp form beside him. "Well, Naoto's Shadow. I could bear-ly see from here, but you pretty much let it blast you in the face."

At the back of Kanji's mind, Take-Mikazuchi made a noise that roughly translated as 'moron'.

"Looked kinda like enervation," continued Teddie. "Sensei and the others have it under control now. It keeps figuring out what everyone's weak to, though."

"Naoto's smart," Kanji blurted, then rubbed his forehead and hoped Naoto really _was_ still out.

"Sensei's smarter," Teddie chirped. "Hey, let me help you up."

Gripping Teddie's paw, Kanji pulled himself upright. Across the room, he could see the Shadow hanging in the air like a puppet, head bowed, wings sparking. Yosuke was on his ass on the floor, Chie berating him as she tried to pull him up, and Yukiko was still firing off bursts of flame. They had the fight sewn up.

He turned back to Naoto. All the little things put together - the short and slender frame, the eyes Kanji had noticed first time they met, the rumors he'd heard about the kid never changing for gym around other guys - still didn't add up to this.

Who had he been crushing on - a guy or a girl?

"Frickin' idiot," he muttered, grabbing the cap and placing it on Naoto's head.

* * *

"Is he - uh, she-" Yosuke paused, frowned, then shook his head. "Is Naoto awake yet?"

"No." Kanji had been watching Naoto the whole time, even before he'd felt well enough to stand. "I dunno why he's-"

"Mmph?" It wasn't eloquent, but it definitely came from Naoto - who twitched slightly, eyelids flickering open. "Where... "

"Naoto-kun! Are you okay?" Yukiko, the closest to him, tried to help Naoto stand. He quickly squirmed away and pulled himself to his feet, squinting at the green light.

Wait. Her, not his, Kanji tried to remind himself, then decided to just roll with it and update his mental pronoun list later.

"I... I remember you all arriving here, and ... " Naoto trailed off, glancing at each of them in turn, then around the room - and when her eyes finally settled on the Shadow, she flinched. "You... you all saw everything."

The Shadow itself just stared. Where Kanji's had been a shrieking harpy even after they'd smacked it down, this one was silent. Naoto walked over, looked it up and down, and let out a soft sigh. "I don't know what you are," she told it quietly, "but I know where you come from."

Yosuke coughed. "Uh.. you can tell me to butt out, Naoto-kun... but... well, why'd you pretend to be a guy?" he asked, yelping when Chie elbowed him in the ribs. "Come on, it's the obvious question!"

Naoto's jaw tightened. "It's... complicated."

"We have time," Souji said evenly. "Plenty, now."

"...Very well. I lost both my parents in an accident when I was very young. My grandfather took me in." Naoto hesitated. "I... had little talent for making friends, so I spent my time reading detective novels in his study.

"I-I remember you looking at them," mumbled Kanji. "At the bookstore."

As Naoto nodded, the Shadow opposite her mimicked the motion. "When I grow up, I'm gonna be an awesome, hard-boiled detective!"

"More or less," Naoto muttered. "My parents were also detectives, making me fifth in the Shirogane line. An inherited occupation can feel stifling, yet I yearned for the day I could follow in their footsteps and become a detective myself." She shook her head. "But I was always alone. I suspect my grandfather felt it was his duty to compensate for that by helping me realize my dream."

"Which is why you've already solved so many cases."

"Exactly, Seta-san. I secretly aided my grandfather with his clients - and before I knew it, people started calling me Junior Detective. At first, I was delighted... but not everyone welcomes my collaboration." She grimaced. "My status as a 'child' has been sufficient to offend many potential colleagues."

Going by experience, Kanji suspected that wasn't the only source of the problem. But if you spent a bunch of time alone, never learning how to deal with people, you couldn't be blamed for behaving like a jerk. At least, not _completely_.

"Were my youth the only issue," Naoto continued, "this situation would resolve itself with time. Unfortunately, changing from a child to an adult only solves one side of the problem. Changing from a woman to a man... that half is impossible."

"Do you not like being a girl?" Yukiko asked. "Is that why you always dress like a boy?"

Naoto nodded, eyes averted. "My sex doesn't fit my ideal image of a detective. Besides, the police department is a male-orientated society. Give them one 'concrete' reason to look down on me, and nobody would need me anymore."

"You don't know that," Kanji insisted, more brusquely than he'd intended.

Yukiko agreed, more tenatively. "Kanji-kun's right. And you already know that what you really want isn't to become an adult or become a boy, don't you?"

Naoto was quiet for a long time; hand tapping against her side, gaze fixed on the floor. Finally she lifted her head, still looking a little lost - and let out a breath. "You're absolutely right." She turned back to her Shadow and cocked her head, watching as it again mirrored her movement.

"I'm sorry," she began. "I kept ignoring you, pretending you didn't exist. But you are me, and I am you. What I should yearn for-" Naoto hesitated, one hand rubbing her neck. "No. What I must _strive _for, isn't to become a man. I must accept myself for who I really am."

Before she'd even finished, the blue glow around the Shadow had begun to flare brighter and brighter, eventually swallowing it completely. With the sound of breaking glass, a small winged figure appeared in its place - then vanished, the light settling on Naoto instead and diffusing over her skin.

The team, familar with this, knew what to expect. Naoto didn't. Her eyes narrowed, and she grabbed her head - then collapsed to her hands and knees. Kanji jolted forward, wanting to help her up but not even sure where to start.

"What-what was that?" she hissed.

"You'll be fine, Naoto-kun." Rise knelt beside her. "Same thing happened to all of us."

Naoto blinked at her. "You're... certainly a devious bunch. No wonder the perpetrator has eluded the police." Hands leaning on her knees, she let out a shaky, humorless chuckle. "Can't believe you kept something like this hidden for so long."

"Yukiko _did _try to tell you," Yosuke pointed out.

Yukiko frowned. "I did?"

"Yeah, back at Tatsumi Port Island, the nightclub, you- ow! Stop _doing_ that!"

Chie pulled her elbow back from Yosuke's ribs. "Yosuke, keep your mouth shut!" Casting an eye at Yukiko - who looked mildly horrified - she bit her lip. "Um... I'll explain later, okay?"

"Well, regardless..." Souji said, wincing slightly, "at least now we know this case isn't over."

"That's right." Yosuke winked at Naoto, flashing a quick grin. "And you proved it, Naoto."

"Yeah, s'right," Kanji interjected; only partly because Yosuke shouldn't be winking at _anybody_. He looked down at Naoto. "C'mon, kid. Let's get you out of here."

Too tired to reply, Naoto only managed a small nod - but for the first time Kanji could remember, and even if it was barely there, she genuinely smiled.

* * *

"Hey... hey!" Kanji dropped into a crouch in front of Naoto, trying to peer under her cap. "C'mon, answer!"

The only response was Naoto's ragged breathing.

They'd all tried to help her out the television; in fact, they'd argued with her over it. Kanji had even offered to carry her and been rewarded with a glare colder than a Bufu blast. Instead she'd insisted on doing it herself, then stumbled through the screen and fell face-down on the shop floor outside. Served her damn right - and yet Kanji was torn between helping her up and yelling at the top of his lungs. Since a few customers were still milling around the store, the second option wasn't really one at all. It was still damn tempting.

Chie shook her head. "Sheesh... Naoto-kun really put her life on the line for this."

"Nothing to be proud of," he muttered. Naoto didn't look right, either. Kanji racked his brains, trying to remember how he felt when the team pulled him out. Had he been so pale?

"No, it isn't," Souji agreed, voice low. "But if she hadn't, we wouldn't know the killer is still on the loose."

Which was fine, absolutely great - but sure as hell not worth dying for. Kanji growled, low and angry. "You're too frickin' reckless, dammit."

"I-I never doubted... that you'd all come for me," Naoto insisted, though the effect was lost given that she still couldn't raise her head. "...Though the reality has turned out to be far beyond what I'd imagined."

But they almost _hadn't _come for her. They hadn't known where to look, Naoto hadn't know what she was getting herself into, and the whole thing hadn't needed to happen. "Tch... what a dumbass!" Kanji snapped, pulling himself to his feet. "You're no genius at all. We were tearing our hair out over you!"

Naoto tipped her head back and looked up at him, frowning slightly.

A burst of pigtails latched onto his left arm. "Oh, so you _did _worry about her, Kanji!"

Heat rushed to Kanji's cheeks - and, as usual, he tried to divert people's attention by shouting. "Shuddup, Rise! Mind your own damn business!" Swallowing, he glanced quickly back at Naoto, who was still staring at him with the same expression. Maybe she hadn't heard.

"Okay, guys," Souji said, as he stepped in front of Rise, "Let's not have this conversation in the middle of Junes, all right? I think Naoto-kun needs to get home."

"I'll take her," Yukiko offered, bending down at Naoto's side.

"It's... all right... I can... "

"No way, missy!" Somehow, Rise had managed to bounce round Souji unnoticed. Kanji swore Naoto cringed. "Don't think that doing everything on your own is the 'adult' thing to do! Me and Yukiko-senpai'll take care of you."

Souji tipped his head towards Kanji. "You too, Tatsumi. Can't have them out causing trouble this late at night."

Again, Naoto flinched, this time muttering something under her breath. She leveled a frustrated glare at Yukiko, then Rise, then at Kanji - before finally giving a small nod.

* * *

Good job Senpai had sent Kanji with them. Naoto lived on the other side of town, a two mile walk, and the last bus had already left. Worse, she was being a major pain in the ass. She'd refused to let Yukiko and Rise help her walk, despite barely being able to stand upright. Tired and irritated, Kanji had reached his frustration threshold even quicker than usual - at which point he'd hoisted Naoto onto his back and firmly ignored the volley of protests that followed.

"Put me down," Naoto hissed, kicking him in the side for the third time in ten minutes. It didn't hurt, but it did piss him off; good thing, too. Devoting all his attention to staying angry kept Kanji from processing everything that had happened that night - including the fact that the guy he'd crushed on for the last five months was pressed up against him tight enough to feel each breath.

He growled deep in his throat. "You ever shut up?"

"I _said_... put me down," Naoto repeated. "You- you d-don't need to-"

"Give it a break!"

"I... I can walk!"

"Yep, Naoto-kun," Rise chirped. "We know. Just not in a straight line and not for more than a few seconds, right?"

Kanji felt another weak kick against his ribs. If Naoto wanted him to throw her into traffic, she was doing a damn good job. She wasn't even well enough to stand, same way Rise had been - except where Rise had gladly let them help her home and thanked them on the way, Naoto was just being a jerk.

"Well, we're almost there," Yukiko said lightly.

A fist thumped against Kanji's shoulder. "Then _put me down_!"

Rise let out a deep sigh. "I used to think you were so eloquent, Naoto-kun."

"And I used to think you had it all together," Kanji muttered. How one guy could be such different things was beyond him. This Naoto and the one he'd met before were like two separate people. "Why you gotta be so stubborn?"

"I, I don't need your help," Naoto mumbled against his back. "So... you don't need to be here."

A few steps ahead, Yukiko stopped in front of a tall apartment building. "Is this it, Naoto?"

Naoto peered up, one hand pressed against Kanji's head for support, and nodded.

"Good. Do you have your keys?"

"... Pocket." Though she punctuated her answer with another kick at Kanji, it felt halfhearted.

The apartment lobby was dimly lit, but they soon found the elevator. On their ride up Rise and Yukiko briefly debated whether they should knock on the apartment door and wake Naoto's grandfather up, or just let themselves in. Eventually they agreed on the second option; fewer questions.

Naoto didn't say a word the whole time. Kanji thought about asking how she was doing, before he noticed she wasn't kicking him anymore and decided not to risk it.

Yukiko led them down the hallway of the fourth floor, checking the numbers outside each apartment. When they found the right one, she quietly unlocked the door. "We don't want to wake anyone up," she whispered.

"You won't," Naoto murmured. "Nobody there."

"Oh... is your grandfather away?"

"D-doesn't live here. Put me down," she added.

With a sigh, Yukiko shook her head and pushed open the door - and, after a few seconds of fumbling, found the light switch inside.

The apartment was small and sparse. White walls and ceiling, plain wooden floors and the type of furniture you kept around because you needed it and closed your eyes to avoid looking at. The whole room was too neat and too empty. Save the cluttered shelves by the door, it looked like nobody lived there.

"Put me down," Naoto repeated. "Now."

"So, which one's your room?" Rise asked, cheerfully ignoring her.

With a dissatisfied grunt, Naoto made a vague gesture towards a door on the left wall. Kanji moved towards it - and was stopped short by a hand tugging hard on his shirt. "Kanji! Stop right there!"

For all girls raved about their clothes, none of them ever respected his. "Dammit, let go!"

"C'mon, are you seriously gonna walk right into a girl's bedroom?" Rise yanked his shirt again for emphasis. "Put Naoto-kun on her feet."

Somewhere below his shoulder-blades, Naoto let out a muffled groan.

Kanji blinked. "Oh. Right."

For all her complaints, Naoto didn't seem any happier standing. Her mood went downhill further when Rise and Yukiko grabbed her arms and dragged her into her room. "Stop it! Just, j-just go away, I don't-"

"You never stop, do you?" Yukiko muttered, as the door closed behind them - leaving Kanji standing in the middle of someone else's apartment, feeling useless and out of place.

He hadn't even taken off his shoes, though it didn't seem like Naoto would care. This place felt nothing like the shopping district. Looked more like the pictures of hotel rooms he'd seen in magazines: clean, generic, sterile. The only exception was the pile of papers tucked under the door of the closet on the far wall. Struck with the urge to pick them up and straighten them out, Kanji deliberately turned away. You didn't go to someone's house and tidy, no matter how messy or neat it was or how much you liked-

Kanji grimaced and went back to looking around the room. Nothing else held his attention, until his gaze drifted back to the shelves. Three were crammed full of books, some upright, some on their sides, none of them in any order he could recognize. A few of them had long technical names printed on their spines, but the rest were dog-eared paperbacks, all with similar unhappy titles. _Murder in a Hearse, Danger Goes on Holiday, The Doorbell Brings Death. _

Kanji skipped the rest, deciding that Naoto needed to read more books about kittens and fewer with dead bodies.

The fourth shelf held binders full of papers, probably just police documents, and two framed photographs at opposite ends. One was an old guy in a suit. The other photograph looked creased, like it'd been kept folded up, but Kanji could see a man and a woman standing side-by-side. The man - dark-haired and slim, with angled features - looked a lot like Naoto.

Pretty telling, really.

"Okay, Kanji-kun. You and me are heading out." Rise stood in the bedroom doorway, Yukiko close behind.

Kanji frowned. "What 'bout Naoto? We're not just gonna leave him, right?"

"_Her_, Kanji."

"Yeah, her. Whatever." He gestured around the living room. "Ain't no-one else here. Who's gonna look after her?"

An irate voice came from somewhere behind Yukiko's shoulder. "I... I do _not_ need looking after!"

Yukiko didn't even turn around. "Naoto-kun, get back in bed before I throw you in there!"

Rise and Kanji both glanced at each other, eyebrows arched.

"And Kanji-kun," Yukiko continued, with an exasperated sigh, "there's no need to worry. Chie can cover for me, so I'll stay here tonight."

Naoto's response was an unhappy choking noise. Before it had chance to turn into a full-on incoherent outburst, Rise grabbed Kanji's arm. "Great idea, Yukiko-senpai! C'mon, Kanji."

The last thing Kanji heard as Rise dragged him out the apartment door was the final protest of a very tired, very indignant Naoto Shirogane - suddenly muffled by what might just have been a face full of mattress.


	13. Interlude 3

_A/N: Another interlude. Safely back in the real world, Naoto finds it very difficult to get rid of her rescuers._

* * *

Seta and his friends were only relevant due to their involvement with the case. Accordingly, Naoto's early contact with them had been limited.

She had, however, frequently observed them sitting and talking together in the food court. This had been her best method of discerning the extent of their interference, though from her position outside she'd never been close enough to hear what they actually said. Instead, she had spent her time evaluating and categorizing them all in terms of the threat they posed. Naturally, Seta had ranked highest. Tatsumi and Satonaka had placed joint second; the first by reason of size and reputation, the second after Naoto had twice witnessed her kicking Hanamura in the same unfortunate anatomical region. Hanamura himself had been third. The rest of the team combined, Naoto had placed a very distant fourth.

In the case of Yukiko Amagi, that had clearly been a grave mistake.

"I did warn you," Amagi huffed.

Naoto, meanwhile, was lying on the bed, face buried in her hat, in roughly the same position she'd been shoved down in.

"You're lucky I'm not Chie. She'd have thrown you out the window instead."

Which needed to be open; the room was insufferably hot. Naoto made a mental note to rectify the situation once she could force herself to stand.

"... Naoto-kun, are you alright?" Two slim hands slipped over Naoto's shoulders and rolled her over onto her back, one of them then moving to her forehead. "You're burning up."

"M'fine," Naoto murmured, willing both Amagi to vanish and the ceiling to stop zooming in and out of focus. "Go home."

"Yes, you've said that already. Several times, actually."

"Why... why are you still here? Why won't you _leave_?" They had rescued her. That was all Naoto had expected. Back in the laboratory, she had wondered at times if even that had been asking too much; if they had understood why she had disappeared, or even noticed.

But they had. Eventually. Furthermore, they'd bothered to come to her aid - something Naoto had resented prior to the event, and which now left a cold weight in the pit of her stomach.

The bed dipped as Amagi sat down beside her. "Because you're our friend, you're unwell and there's nobody else here. Why would we leave you by yourself?"

Because that was how it had always been; familiar, comforting, terrifying. Besides, they were hardly friends, even if she-

Naoto grit her teeth. Indignant. She was indignant, and Amagi had no right being there. "I... I'm fine. Go 'way," she mumbled, and thumped a fist weakly against the mattress.

"Why _are _you here by yourself?" Leaning forward, Amagi pushed back a few damp strands of Naoto's hair from her forehead. "I know your parents are... gone, but what about your grandfather?"

"America." Naoto squirmed to one side, attempting to bat away Amagi's invading hand. "And usually... the estate. Not Inaba. I'm... not supposed to still be here."

At the edge of her vision, she caught a glimpse of a smile. "Well, I'm glad you are, and so are the others."

Naoto wasn't. Her continued presence not only demonstrated her failure to solve the case, it had forced her into a situation where a girl she barely knew had barged into her apartment in a misguided attempt to take care of her. As if she had ever required _that_.

"Don't want to be here," she muttered. "Never stay anywhere."

Amagi hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe you could stay here? We'll need your help with whatever comes next."

The inside of her skull had been buzzing insistently since leaving the television. In the brief silence after Amagi finished speaking, it grew louder, almost resolving itself into words.

Naoto shook her head. The noise faded.

"Of course we will," Amagi insisted, frowning. "Without you, we probably wouldn't have realized Mitsuo wasn't the killer. Or at least, not for a while." Then she sighed. "I just wish you'd told us what you were doing."

Except Naoto _had_. By the time she had finalized her plan, her initial, instinctive assumption that the entire team was composed of idiots had long been abandoned. She had left them all the necessary clues. What else could she have done?

If they'd arrived when they should, things would be different. Naoto would have kept her composure. Her doppelganger would not have reduced her to a contemptible, raging child. Her mind would be quiet. And Amagi would not still be sitting on her bed, _still_ fussing over her.

More than that, the prince might still be a prince - and Naoto wouldn't be mourning the loss of a nickname she'd never even liked.

She swallowed. "Why... why did you take so long?"

"We didn't know anything about you, Naoto-kun. Not even that you're a-" Amagi stopped short. "Well... Rise-chan, she finds people, but she needs something to go on."

Of course. Ridiculous to assume otherwise. These people barely knew her. Tatsumi was the only one she'd spoken to for any length of time.

"That, and we weren't strong enough at first," Amagi continued. "You definitely did your best to keep us out."

Naoto wished she'd managed it. All those locked doors had counted for nothing.

The buzzing grew louder, like the static of a- no. Like the hum of insect wings, almost. At one point, Naoto swore she heard her name.

"Sorry," she murmured, mouth dry, uncertain why she was apologizing.

Amagi eyebrows rose. "Oh. Um, I'm sorry too, that we took so long. That's why you feel so bad - the same thing happened to me." She patted Naoto's shoulder. "But we'll all make sure to drop by until you get better."

Few prospects were more horrifying.

Endless invasions, simply out of pity, by people who'd seen her at her worst. Naoto pushed herself up onto her elbows, ready to respond with a detailed explanation of how she absolutely didn't require babysitting, thank you_, _she just needed to be left alone for the foreseeable future. She managed the first syllable before her stomach lurched.

The consequent stumble she made for the bathroom - Amagi half-carrying her when she realized what was happening - was not one of her most dignified moments. Nor was losing the orange juice she'd choked down less than an hour ago as they left Junes.

But perhaps this would help. It might dislodge the thick knot that had wedged in her throat as soon as the team had run through the laboratory door.

"Don't worry." Amagi had knelt beside her. "It won't last long and it gets much better after the first week."

An entire week? There was so much to do, a new culprit to be found, and-

She jerked again, dry heaving this time. Amagi held back her hair - merely a gesture, given its length - and rubbed her back. Naoto attempted to shift away. The buzzing renewed.

"That... that thing," she managed, arms locked straight against her knees, "that... the blue shape that appeared, what was it?"

"Oh, that's right! Souji didn't tell you, did he?" Amagi frowned. "It's hard to explain, but it's... your Persona."

Persona. Amagi had used the same word back in the nightclub. Meaning she had been telling the truth, albeit in a thoroughly dubious manner. "You... you weren't lying."

"When?"

"The club. T-Tatsumi Port Island."

"Naoto-kun... what exactly did I say? Because I really don't remember-" Amagi paused, eyes widening. "Oh no. I wasn't - was I drunk?"

"No," muttered Naoto, in as adamant a tone as she could muster while still doubled over.

"That would explain why I... oh, _no_." When Naoto glanced up, Amagi's face had turned an even paler shade than usual, and her hands were wringing the material of her blouse. "My mother _cannot_ know about this. Never. I'll be grounded until I'm fifty."

"You _weren't_ drunk."

Continuing to ignore her completely, Amagi sighed. "I'm sorry. You must've thought I was crazy."

Back pressed against the nearest wall, legs stretched out on the floor, Naoto swallowed hard. "No. I... I thought you were mocking me."

Amagi frowned. "Why would we do that?"

"The police always have." And they were hardly alone. "I saw no reason why you and your friends would be different."

The bathroom was small for one person. With two, they were uncomfortably close, yet Amagi only moved closer. "We aren't police, Naoto-kun." She sighed again, then smiled. "It's funny. I always felt like you were laughing at us. You said we were playing a game, remember?"

Revealing the truth - that Naoto had neither laughed at the team nor ever taken them wholly seriously - was pointless. They _had_ been playing a game, of sorts; they had simply played it more effectively than her.

She tipped her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. More buzzing.

Her eyes snapped open. Opposite, Amagi was staring at her, brows angled in concern. "Are you okay?"

Naoto nodded. Had Amagi spoken before that?  
_  
_"Can you stand?"

Naoto nodded again, but didn't take Amagi's proffered hand. Instead, she gripped the edge of the sink and pulled herself up, earning a low, exasperated noise that left her wondering if she'd be shoved across a room again. The fact that Yukiko Amagi - delicate, graceful, _feminine_ - was capable of doing so was not lost on her.

She watched the water swirling in the basin, fighting the urge to pass out.

Amagi leaned against the wall. "I wish you'd stop being so difficult."

"You're the difficult one," Naoto muttered. "All of you. Staying."

"What are you going to do? You can't investigate by yourself, and you _know_ the police won't believe what you've seen." Amagi shook her head. "It sounds like they never believed you at all."

Which had been as expected. The police department consisted entirely of imbeciles, all of whom preferred to waste their time on asinine banter, crude jokes and drunken gatherings in bars after work. All meaningless hindrances to the investigation. Naoto had pointed this out several times and been rewarded with mockery and juvenile name-calling. 'Defective Prince' had been by far the least offensive. None of them had mattered. Mere resentment of her abilities.

"They, they called me an interfering brat, impossible to work with. A stupid kid." It came out in an inexplicable, babbled rush - but her head was still buzzing and the room was far too hot. "Then they took me off the case. Said it was over, they no longer needed me. It happens every time."

Amagi shook her head again, this time more emphatically. "It won't now. We need your help."

She was lying. They all were. Why would they- "No, no, you _don't_. I - I'm not even a real man."

"Why would we care about that?"

"Girls... can't do anything." If the police had known, she would never have worked a single case. Now they almost certainly did. Braced against the sink, Naoto suppressed a shudder. "_I _can't do anything, not now."

_neverlistenalwaysthink_

An unwelcome hand gripped her shoulder, spinning her around - and for a instant, looking directly at Amagi's narrowed eyes, Naoto glimpsed something untamed and fierce.

"Naoto-kun," she said, firm and slow. "Chie and I both fought your Shadow, and we both helped clear the way down to the laboratory. Rise was our support in every fight. Without the three of us, you'd be dead."

All of which was painfully accurate.

On some level, Naoto was aware of the exceptional level of ingratitude she had displayed since her rescue. On another, she was dangerously close to a full-on fit of rage - or at least a delayed one, saved up for when she wasn't trapped in her own bathroom, on the verge of being sick a third time. For now, she settled for burying her head in her hands, elbows resting on the edge of the sink.

"I apologize, Amagi-san. My behavior is... " She hesitated, her fingertips pressed against her temples. "I, I don't want to be male. Or an adult. The idea is... ludicrous."

For all the conviction Naoto forced into her voice, the statement sounded more like a lie with every word. The clarity she'd felt after confronting her Shadow had dissipated. Being a man, an adult, being strong and capable... it would be so much easier. It would be correct.

She stared at her hands - slim fingers, small palms - and winced.

"The feelings don't go away, do they?"

"W-what?"

Amagi's voice was even quieter than usual. "Accepting your Shadow isn't a magic cure. Sometimes I still... " She trailed off. "Don't be too hard on yourself, Naoto-kun."

That the rest of the team possessed Shadows was not a concept Naoto had considered. What had they been like?

Tatsumi had certainly seemed odd during their initial meetings; apparently both discomfited by her presence and unusually shy for one with his reputation. Naoto had suspected some sort of complex. Disconcertingly, she couldn't remember exactly why she'd chosen to impart those suspicions to a group of children following his disappearance. Still, the decision made sense. Risky as it had been, revealing her knowledge had allowed her to observe their reactions and evaluate how deeply they were embroiled in the case.

Regardless, whatever inner turmoil Tatsumi's behavior had implied would have been grounds for the development of a Shadow. Kujikawa's might have been connected to her career. But the others - Amagi, Satonaka, Hanamura, and most of all Seta - had no weaknesses Naoto could discern, especially not to match her own.

"Do you think you can make it back to the bed?" Amagi was staring again. Naoto fought the sudden urge to run away.

Instead, she nodded her assent and turned towards the door. "Wh-what was yours like?" she asked, hands pressed either side of the doorway, and forced the tremble out of her limbs. "Your Shadow?"

For a few moments, Amagi said nothing.

Finally, she sighed. "She lived in a castle. Very ornate. And... well..." Amagi drew a quick, shallow breath. "She was wearing a low-cut princess gown and she kept talking about hot studs and her underwear."

Naoto blinked. "Oh."

"You should be grateful for the lab coat," Amagi told her as they entered the bedroom.

Naoto climbed back on the bed and curled up on her side, knees drawn up to her chest. She felt slightly better; Amagi's presence therefore served no purpose. "You should-"

_alwaysalonealwayswrong_

It wasn't Amagi speaking. It wasn't even human. Simply a variation of the same buzzing sound; something that, given her altered state, Naoto had mistaken for words. Ridiculous.  
_  
_"We really are glad to have you back." The bed dipped again, somewhere near her feet. "Kanji-kun and Rise-chan were so worried, they went inside the television to get you. They even convinced Yosuke to go with them."

Naoto knew little of the team's methods - she wished she'd been awake to see them fight, to evaluate their strategy - but rushing into battle without a leader was ludicrous. "They... they were unsuccessful?"

"Very. I'd never seen Souji so angry." Amagi hesitated. "Actually, I'd never seen him angry at all before that. He's a lot like you."

Except he wasn't. Seta did not throw tantrums. Presumably Amagi-san was just being kind - but the familiarity of contempt would have been vastly preferable.

"I... I'm nothing like him. My Shadow, the things it said-" She bit her lip, wondering when and why she'd become so absurdly candid.

The fever. That was all. Everything would revert to normal, given time.

Slim fingers pressed against her sleeve. "You aren't alone, Naoto-kun. Not now."

Naoto knew she should say something to that - _I don't care if I am, go away _- but her voice refused to come. Even dislodging Amagi's hand seemed impossible. Despite her best efforts, her eyes drifted closed; the buzzing in her head finally fading, but never falling silent.


	14. Chapter 11

_A/N: Story so far: After a long battle through the Secret Base, the team rescued Naoto - who wasn't grateful in the slightest.  
_

_In this part: Rise says it with flowers, __Naoto says it with indignation, __and Kanji can't say much at all.  
_

_

* * *

_

**September 27th 2011**

"I'm just _saying_," began Rise, with a phrase Kanji had learned to dread, "you're the only one who hasn't been to see her! That's mean, Kanji-kun."

Kanji grunted and rolled his eyes. Bad enough that Rise was dragging him to Naoto's apartment on pain of death, or at least pain of being whined at for the next week. Cussing him out the whole way there was just salt in the wound. There was a good reason he hadn't visited Naoto yet; in fact, there were dozens, and they were the same ones behind his determination not to think about her at all. "Teddie ain't been either," he muttered.

Rise let out a frustrated sigh. "And you know why. Stop changing the subject!"

She had a point. Teddie was a headache at the best of times - and given how stoked he'd been to find out Naoto was a girl, he'd probably try to hit on her. Meaning Kanji would be sorely tempted to kick his ass, if Naoto didn't do it first. Hell, he ought to kick hers while he was at it. Scowling, he aimed a mid-stride kick at a nearby clump of soggy leaves. "Whatever. Bet she don't want visitors anyway."

"C'mon, I loved seeing you guys when you came to see me! And Naoto-kun's been really happy whenever we've dropped by."

Scanning Persona, human insight, people skills - these were all Rise's biggest strengths. They were also completely useless in the face of her amazing knack for believing whatever she wanted. "Right."

"I'm serious! Trust me, I know this stuff." Rise nodded firmly, pigtails bouncing in tandem. "Besides, there's nothing in her kitchen. What's she gonna eat if we don't take her food?"

All the responses he had to _that _would end with either him getting bitched out or Rise bawling. Maybe both. Kanji glanced down at the plastic bag in his hand, three carefully-wrapped slabs of Rise's 'Spicy Tofu Surprise' nestling inside. If she had any sense, Naoto'd sooner starve than eat them or anything else that resulted from the girls being within ten feet of a kitchen.

Then again, if she had any sense, she wouldn't have tried to get herself killed.

Could've been taken out by the murderer if she'd tried to fight him. Could've been ripped apart by shadows if she'd tried to escape. Based on what Kanji knew of her, both 'ifs' seemed pretty damn likely. Or she could've just shown up dead soon as the fog rolled in, and somehow that seemed most plausible of all.

Kanji grit his teeth. "Ain't nothin' to do with me. She got herself in this mess."

"Wow, Kanji-kun, you're all heart." Rise hummed lightly. "Good thing Souji-senpai's already been to see her."

"Course he has. He's the boss," Kanji snapped back, wishing his voice didn't feel like it was stuck in his throat. Senpai had probably gone there the first day and told Naoto all about the team, the television, Personas, the works. Best person to do it; he always found the right words, even when Kanji would've sworn they didn't exist, and it seemed like he barely had to look. He'd have helped Naoto get to grips with the Shadow thing, too. Wasn't much left for Kanji to do except bring her tofu nobody with the will to live would ever eat.

Hell, Souji had probably figured out months ago that she wasn't really a guy.

Distracted as he was, it took Kanji a couple more strides to realize Rise had stopped. He felt the glare of disapproval against his back well before he turned to meet it.

"Kanji." Rise's hands were on her hips. Bad sign. "Are you _trying _to be a jerk? 'Cause you're doing really well!"

"Whass'matter?"

"I just asked you twice now why you don't want to see Naoto-kun. Twice! And you ignored me!"

Kanji grunted. "Ah...'s not that I don't want to," he managed, rolling his neck and shoulders and wishing Rise would drop the whole thing. "Just... y'know."

Rise looked confused for a moment, like she was trying to fill in the gaps between his words, then sighed and shook her head. "But you _like _Naoto, right?" She hesitated. "I mean, she's not a boy anymore, but--"

"I don't care about that!" Kanji snapped, surprised at how quickly the answer came and even more surprised that he meant it.

For a few seconds, Rise just stared at him, both eyebrows raised. Then she shrugged, and started walking again. "So at least go see her while she's getting better. Don't tell me you've forgotten how terrible you felt after you got out."

"But I was fine! Senpai and the others got me real quick." Three days after he vanished, if he remembered right. After a full night's sleep he'd felt pretty much normal; he'd just been too afraid to go back to school.

"Oh man, you're lucky! I was throwing up for four days straight, no joke. Himiko wouldn't shut up, either." Rise shook her head. "Kept up this running commentary on everything I was doing and thinking. She's so _nosy_."

"Figures," Kanji said with a quick grin - followed by a wince as Rise elbowed him in the side.

It was true, though. Personas had to match their owners. Otherwise, there was no explanation for Take-Mikazuchi being such a damn punk. Never shut up in a fight, especially if things were going badly. At first, he hadn't said much at all - maybe because Kanji hadn't been in the TV long - but the big guy had gradually crept inside his head, to the point where Kanji couldn't tell what was him and what wasn't, or if there was even a difference. Well, except when he was getting chewed out for screwing up an attack or taking a hit. But on the big things, like the stuff that had been spinning round in his mind for the last few days, Take-Mikazuchi never said a word.

"She couldn't tell me much about Naoto's Persona. Himiko, I mean," Rise continued. "The power's there, but I'm not sure what it does. I guess I'll find out soon, since Naoto-kun's gonna be on the team."

Crap. He'd forgotten that part.

Souji had already been to see Naoto. Meaning he might've asked her to join them. Meaning Kanji would be fighting alongside her every time they went in the television. Meaning this whole pretending she didn't exist deal would soon become impossible.

Rise winked at him. "Betcha can't wait, Kanji-kun," she chirped.

Kanji scowled and said nothing.

**

* * *

**

When they knocked on the door of Naoto's apartment, Yukiko opened it. "Rise-chan, Kanji-kun! Thank you for dropping by."

Polite smile, folded hands. _Manager mode_, Kanji thought, then frowned. "Uh... why're you..."

"Oh, I've been here an hour already," she explained. "I came straight after school. Chie had to run an errand and I didn't want to leave Naoto-kun by herself."

A small, indignant noise sounded from somewhere inside the apartment.

Yukiko rolled her eyes. "So," she added, jaw tensed unusually tight, "I'm happy you're here. Very happy."

"No problem! We even brought food." Rise pointed to the bag at Kanji's side, then skipped through the door. "Hey, Naoto-kun!"

Kanji sighed and bent down, fumbling with the laces on his boots. He felt Yukiko lean down towards him - and when she spoke, her voice was almost a whisper. "Kanji-kun, did you cook--"

He shook his head grimly.

She winced. "Oh. Well. You... maybe you should put it in the kitchen, then."

Had to give Yukiko credit; for all her efforts to fix the problem, she'd finally accepted she sucked at cooking. Rise, on the other hand, still lived in happy ignorance.

"Good idea," Kanji muttered, then strode inside the kitchen - glimpsing a sullen-looking Naoto slumped on the sofa along the way - and began unpacking the tofu.

The smart choice would've been to throw it in the trash. Maybe he could pretend he'd dropped it on the floor. Could even open the window if he was quiet enough, though coming up with an explanation for why he'd accidentally thrown the tofu through it would be difficult. Kanji was still debating his options when Rise popped her head round the door. "Kanji, stop messing with that and get in here! You're supposed to be visiting Naoto!"

Other than wanting to devote some quality time to not thinking about Naoto - which would be ten times harder if they were in the same room - Kanji had no reasonable explanation for why he really needed to hide in the kitchen for the next few hours. Lost for any other escape, he grunted and walked out into the living room.

"Kanji-kun wanted to see you too, Naoto-kun," Rise trilled, locking her arm firmly around his. "He's sorry for not coming earlier." She flashed Kanji a grin. "And he's _really _happy you're back."

Kanji responded with a choking noise. Naoto glanced at him, nodded once - then went back to ignoring Yukiko, who was sitting next to her on the sofa.

Apparently feeling she'd mortified him enough for one day, Rise let go of his arm - then plunked herself down in a free seat and began helping Yukiko fix what might've been the most one-sided conversation ever.

The thought of joining in turned Kanji's stomach. He pressed his back against the wall, deciding that the girls could handle the talking. Which they definitely did. For a whole forty minutes - during which Naoto said a grand total of three sentences, all of them short. By the quarter-hour mark, she'd given up even pretending to pay attention, instead folding her arms and fixing her gaze on what seemed to be an amazingly interesting spot on the floor. Kanji, meanwhile, only noticed all this because he caught himself staring at her on five separate occasions.

So much for not thinking about her. If he was being honest, Naoto was _all_ he'd been thinking about for the past couple days. Whether he still liked her, why she pretended to be a guy, whether that actually mattered; a bunch of questions he wished he didn't need to ask.

It bothered him that she wasn't... well, that she was different from what he thought. Couldn't help that. Couldn't put a finger on why, either. She looked the same, sounded the same, behaved the same. He'd learned to stick with one pronoun, but that was mostly because Rise jumped on it every time he didn't. Other than that, nothing major had changed - so why was he so pissed off?

_Because I thought I was gay because of you_, was the most obvious reason. Good one, too. Shame it wasn't right. Naoto might've been the spark, but that stuff had been twisting about in his head long before she showed up and it still hadn't gone away - and neither had the jumble of feelings that shot up in his chest every time he looked at her.

_Because I feel stupid for not realizing. _Fine, there was some truth in that. If nothing else, he'd always had a good eye for appearances and there'd been a few quirks that had bothered him about Naoto's. Her clothes had never hung right, she'd looked different with the hat off and she'd had the wrong build even for a guy who hadn't fully grown. Kanji had just been too plain dumb to put it all together. Still, he wasn't the only one she'd fooled and it was far from the first time in his life he'd felt like an idiot.

_Because you're supposed to have it all together. _Beyond them being a bunch of assholes, Kanji didn't know or care much about cops, but he still suspected being a girl wouldn't be as much of a problem as Naoto claimed. She just wasn't thinking things through straight - and the way she did that with everything else, the way she'd always had it all locked down so tight, those were the things that'd always impressed him. Much as he wanted to kick himself for the thought, seeing what a mess she was underneath had been a disappointment. Shitty reason to be angry, though. Everyone's Shadow was screwed up. That was the whole point.

So, none of the three explanations really fit. Kanji tilted back his head and stared at the ceiling, trying to think of a fourth, one that covered everything.

_Because you didn't tell me the truth_, was what he eventually came up with.

Another full hour passed before Rise finally stood up. Kanji's left foot had fallen asleep at some point, but he couldn't see Naoto talking it well if he started stamping on her apartment floor, particularly not right now. She looked _pissed_.

"C'mon, Kanji-kun." Rise grabbed his arm and tugged him towards the door. "Let's go. Chie-senpai's heading back here soon, she'll keep Yukiko-senpai and Naoto company."

Kanji grunted, stealing one last glance at Naoto as Rise urged him out the apartment. She didn't look up.

As they walked down the corridor, back to the elevator, Rise grabbed his jacket sleeve. "You didn't say anything! Not the whole time we were there! What was up?"

He shrugged. "Couldn't get a word in with you an' Yukiko-senpai goin' on."

"You're terrible, Kanji-kun." Pouting slightly, she poked him in the arm. "I bet Naoto-kun thinks you don't like her."

In a rare display of tact - hanging out with Rise had taught him the benefits of biting his tongue - Kanji didn't mention that Naoto probably preferred people who either didn't or couldn't keep their mouths flapping for two hours straight. "Guess so," he mumbled.

**

* * *

**

**September 28th 2011**

Souji frowned down at the plate of steak croquettes. "Kind of tough today."

Kanji, who'd been chewing the same mouthful of steak skewer for the past three minutes, grunted in agreement.

"Souzai Daigaku, consistent as ever," Souji mumbled, discreetly pushing the plate away then resting his elbows on the wooden table. "Why do we keep coming here?"

The mouthful fought back. Kanji guzzled half his can of soda trying to unstick the chewed steak from his tongue, finishing with a desperate swallow. Choking averted, he looked up at Souji. "...'Cause Chie-senpai keeps saying it's great."

"And because we're all sick of Junes and Aiya," Souji added, then chuckled. "Yosuke says we should open a restaurant. Blow people's minds, having more than three places in town to eat. He swears we'll make a fortune."

"He can cook?"

"About as well as Rise. Speaking of which, she said you visited Naoto - or that she dragged you there, anyway."

"Pretty much," Kanji said, with what he hoped was a casual shrug. "Heard y'went to see her too."

Souji nodded. "The day after we brought her back." His brow creased slightly. "She wasn't happy to see me."

The thought shouldn't have comforted Kanji as much as it did. "So, uh... how'd it go?"

"Once her curiosity won out, pretty well. I explained the television world, the shadows, all of it." Souji's fingers drummed against the table. "Shame we couldn't work with her sooner. She's a quick one."

Kanji snorted. "Quick to be an idiot, y'mean."

"Come on, Kanji. You don't mean that."

"Course I do!" he snapped - then caught himself and lowered his voice to a hiss. "She practically threw herself in there!"

"I know, and I called her on that," Souji pointed out. "But you can't deny her plan worked."

"But it was frickin' stupid! She could've been killed! C'mon, Senpai, you wouldn't pull shit like that, right?"

Souji paused.

Kanji's eyes widened. "Don't tell me you'd--"

"In her position? I might've thought the same way." Shifting against the wooden box, Souji let out a long breath. "I just wouldn't have gone through with it."

Dammit, Senpai was meant to be the smart one. So was Naoto. Kanji's brow furrowed as his fists clenched and unclenched against the table. "Okay, fine, say y'did. You'd have all of us backing you up - hell, half the town. Naoto tried to go it alone."

Souji nodded. "And that's where she went wrong. Among other places," he added, one eyebrow quirked. "If she joins up with us, maybe she'll get why."

"... You ask her yet?"

"No. Thought I'd wait till she calms down a little more." He smiled. "Can't see her saying no, considering how desperate she is to solve the case."

"Yeah," Kanji murmured. "Thass cool." He hesitated, gaze flickering down to the plate. Wouldn't bother with the skewers next time, he decided.

Wouldn't try to play the hero, either.

"Something wrong?" Souji asked, after a moment's silence.

"Just..." Kanji swallowed, trying to pull the right words together. "I was as bad as Naoto, y'know? Jumpin' in the TV without you. An' I never really apologized." Jaw clenched, he lifted his eyes to meet Souji's. "Sorry, Senpai."

There was no response except a careful stare. Kanji's stomach sank.

Then, Souji shrugged. "You were just worried," he said, and Kanji swore he saw a smirk.

Heat rushed to his cheeks. "Don't matter. Always had the same problem. No good at waiting."

"Which was fair enough." Souji frowned, two fingers pressed to his right temple. "You're not going to do it again... and I did wait too long. I never meant to let Naoto--" He tensed, straightened his shoulders - then looked Kanji in the eye. "But we got her. And if we have to do this again for someone else, I'll make sure we time it right."

Something was off. Sure, the wait had driven Kanji half crazy, but they'd pulled Naoto out over a week ahead of time. He rested his elbows on the table, wiping his mouth and trying to figure out what he'd missed.

Then Souji leaned back, and the corners of his mouth flickered up in a casual smile. "So, still trust me?" he asked lightly.

Kanji nodded. "'Course I do, Senpai."

**

* * *

**

**September 29th 2011**

_sry kanji-kun!!! goin 2B L8 __(-_-);_  
_  
_The little faces were cute - but for the sake of his eyes, Kanji wished Rise would put her time into the words instead. Maybe she found regular letters too boring. He felt pretty much the same about loitering outside Naoto's apartment building for the past half-hour. It was starting to get dark; at this rate, one of her neighbors would call the cops. Tell them some thug was hanging around in the street, holding a cooler and a canvas bag full of study notes. He never wrote stuff down in class, but he figured Naoto probably did - so he'd spent lunch figuring out who shared classes with her and photocopying their notebooks.

Ten minutes later, Rise finally showed up at the end of the street - half-running, half-dragging herself down the sidewalk towards him. "Bout time!" Kanji called.

Rise waved desperately. By the time she reached him, she was almost doubled over. "Oh man, Kanji-kun... I am so... so outta shape," she gasped. "If I ever went back to work, the dance routines would kill me!" She leaned one hand against his arm for support. The other, Kanji noticed, was clutching a garish bunch of flowers.

"Been waiting for ages," he mumbled, pulling the bag further over his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. Hey... what's in the cooler? Did you bring Naoto-kun food?"

Typical Rise. Getting the wrong idea completely. "So? There a problem with that?"

She pouted. "Don't be all spiky. I've got it covered anyway, you don't need to worry. Naoto-kun's got plenty of good food."

Kanji forced himself to stay quiet. "Just didn't wanna show up empty-handed. S'rude."

"Yep, exactly!" Rise waved the bouquet. "That's why I brought flowers."

Naoto probably wouldn't appreciate the effort. Besides, the flowers were five different colors, none of them right for somebody sick and all of them clashing. Kanji was about to tell Rise that next time she needed to call him first, when her phone buzzed inside her jacket pocket.

"Hold on, gotta take this." She glanced at the number then quickly flipped the phone open. "Hey, Senpai! What's up? Wait, seriously? Oh man, I'm so sorry! I'll be right there, Senpai, don't you go anywhere!"

The phone flipped shut. Rise stared up at him, eyes wide in dismay. "Kanji-kun, I _completely _forgot, I'm supposed to be studying with Senpai this afternoon! Give these to Naoto-kun, okay?" She thrust the flowers towards his chest - Kanji grabbed them on instinct - then flashed him a brilliant smile.

Brilliantly devilish, too. Kanji blinked. "Hey, wait a--"

Rise bounced back one step, then another. "I'll totally make it up to you, promise!"

She never, _ever_ forgot study sessions with Souji-senpai; she spent most of her breaks at school trying to engineer them. This was a setup. "Dammit, Rise!"

"Gotta go!" she called, already running down the street. For somebody supposedly out-of-shape, she moved fricking fast. Kanji scowled at her right up until she vanished round the corner - then turned to scowl at the steps instead.

Should just go home. The food would keep. Naoto'd thank him for leaving; she'd glowered her way through the last visit and if he stayed she might shoot him. Especially if he showed up alone. Shit, he hadn't managed a single word last time, how the hell was he supposed to hold a conversation?

Should _definitely_ just go home, he decided, now inside the lobby and waiting for the elevator.

The thought followed him all the way to the fourth floor and down the hallway to Naoto's apartment. Standing outside, Kanji glared at the front door and briefly wondered if he could intimidate it into opening. Usually worked with people, even - no, _especially _when he didn't intend it to.

Probably not doors, though. Drawing a deep breath, he put the cooler down, tried to ignore his heart pounding against his ribs - now or never, right? - and rapped his knuckles against the surface.

Nothing happened.

He knocked again, harder this time. "Naoto? You there?"

Still no answer. Kanji was figuring out the best way to kick the door down without damaging the flowers, when he heard the handle catch.

The door creaked open. Partly. In the narrow space between it and the wall, a tousled-haired Naoto glared up at him - expression pitched somewhere between exhausted and supremely pissed off.

"Tatsumi," she muttered. "Why are you here?"

"Visit," Kanji choked out. He gestured back down the hallway. "R-Rise, she was gonna come too, but she hadta--"

"Then I'm sure you'll want to follow," Naoto muttered, and tried to slam the door.

On a burst of courage he later couldn't explain, Kanji stuck out his leg and wedged his boot in the narrow gap.

Naoto tugged at the handle - paused - then looked up. "Remove your foot from my door."

Kanji squared his shoulders. "Sure, if you open it."

This won him another glare - or rather, what would've been a glare if Naoto's shivering hadn't ruined the effect. "There is no need for you or anyone else to be here. I am _fine_."

Kanji swallowed the sudden urge to kick the door open, pick Naoto up and hurl her back in the room. "Yeah. Sure." He let out a breath, running his free hand through his hair. Should've fixed it up before he left home. "Look... I, I'm just bringin' stuff over, I'm not gonna sit on your sofa an' talk at you. Promise."

Naoto just stared up at him, fingers tightening then loosening around the edge of the door. Then, with a quiet noise of frustration, she pulled it open - though she didn't step aside.

"I don't require babysitting," she muttered, tugging at her shirt collar. Looking closer, Kanji would've sworn she'd slept in her clothes.

"And I ain't here to baby-sit," he growled, pointing to the bag slung over his shoulder. "Bringing you notes from school, thass all. You wanna fall behind?"

Naoto gave him a flat stare. "And presumably the flowers are pens? Or does the cooler contain textbooks?"

Limited to start with, Kanji's patience finally ran out. "The flowers are from Rise, alright? And the cooler, s'just some food, R-Rise said there's nothin' in your kitchen, that's why she keeps bringing crap over!" He took a deep breath for his instinctive killer shot. "And detectives don't know how to cook anyway!"

... Damn, that was a stupid thing to say.

Glowering, Naoto tipped up her chin. "I am perfectly capable of consulting a recipe book."

"You don't have any." Kanji would've noticed them on the shelves. He was willing to bet she'd never owned one in her life.

"I would check the internet."

"So what if y'did? When was the last time you cooked something?"

"I've had no reason to bother. Kujikawa-san has been providing ample food."

"Which y'tried once and never touched again, right?"

She hesitated - the first trace of blood in the water. "It... wasn't that bad."

"Liar."

"There are processed meals!"

"Yeah, real nutritious. You gonna live off ramen all week?"

Naoto glared at him.

Kanji stared back.

Moments passed in deafening silence.

Taking that as the end of the argument, Kanji picked up the cooler. "So, you go think about the case or whatever and I'll do my thing. Alright?"

"_Fine_," Naoto snapped, then turned and stalked back inside the apartment.

Kanji followed, flush with victory - but more than a little tentative. For all his bravado, he was way out of his depth. The rush of anger that got him through the door evaporated in the four strides it took him to reach the kitchen, where he quickly dumped the flowers in the sink, put the bag on the floor, and set the cooler on the counter. Focus on fixing everything up. It'd be a good distraction.

Making food to bring Naoto had been a snap decision. Originally he'd planned to just drop off her schoolwork then pull a vanishing act. Late last night, he'd started thinking, well, it'd be pretty lousy of him to just let her starve, no way was she eating Rise's food, so maybe he should grab her something from Souzai Daigaku. Aiya, if he was feeling generous. Ten minutes later, he'd been standing in the kitchen in an apron, desperately trying to figure out what he could make with a fridge full of leftovers.

The final result: a box of sliced up okonomiyaki. Wasn't ideal - reheating always turned the texture weird - but it was the best he could do in the middle of the night. And his old man loved the stuff; used to make it all the time.

Naoto would probably hate it.

"What did you bring?"

Kanji's head snapped up. Naoto stood in the entrance, leaning against the door-frame with one hand clutching her opposite shoulder.

"S'just okonomiyaki," he mumbled, and pulled a spatula out the cooler. "You can heat it up."

No response. When he dared to glance over, she was frowning at the sink. "The flowers serve no purpose."

"Rise," Kanji blurted. "You got a vase somewhere?"

She shook her head.

Stupid question. "Don't matter," he muttered. "Figure somethin' out,"

Again, Naoto stayed quiet.

Minutes passed. Originally intending to grab a slice of the okonomiyaki and heat it up, Kanji instead stared at the spatula until it didn't look like one anymore and wished Naoto would stop fricking watching him. He could feel her eyes on him from the doorway. The feeling left his nerves twitching.

Finally, he got angry enough to look over, ready to tell her to go lie down - but she was staring at the floor. Either her reflexes were amazing, or he needed to calm the hell down.

Shrugging, Kanji turned his attention back to the spatula.

"I don't recall trying it before," Naoto said suddenly. "Okonomiyaki."

"S'good. Y-You got plates?"

She gestured to the cupboard above the cooker. Kanji leaned over and yanked open the door so hard it almost smacked him in the head. Fortunately, Naoto didn't seem to notice, so he tried to turn it into a smooth grab for a plate. "S'posed to be resting, right?"

"I'm _fine_," she snapped. Again.

"Yeah, y'said." Kanji choked back a growl. "Go sit down, gonna bring you somethin' to eat."

"There's absolutely no need for--"

"I know, alright?" Kanji rounded on her, fists clenched. "Shit, I'm just trying to--" The sentence stopped dead; partly because he hadn't meant to lose his temper, but mostly because he realized he was still brandishing the spatula.

Naoto stared at him for a beat, expression perfectly blank. Then she folded her arms, her gaze shifting back to the floor. "Very well. Do not make a mess." She stiffened. "And... you will leave afterwards."

With that, she vanished back into the living room. Kanji stared at the empty space, not sure whether he was more upset she hadn't thanked him or that she thought he'd screw up her kitchen. Cursing under his breath, he focused on heating up a slice of okonomiyaki and searching for something to put the flowers in. No doubt Rise set him up with those, too. In the end he settled for emptying out an expired carton of orange juice, chopping off the top and sticking the stupid things in there. Wasn't like anyone would care.

Same went for the food. Soon as it was done, he picked up the plate, grabbed some chopsticks from a drawer and stomped out into the living room - where Naoto was on the sofa, curled on her side and fast asleep. Didn't stir, even when he walked in front and set the plate down on the table.

Kanji straightened, insisting to himself that he definitely, absolutely wasn't going to look at her - then did.

Naoto looked... cute. Small, too. Not that she didn't usually, on either front; it was just way more obvious when she wasn't glaring and kicking up a fuss because he was trying to do her a damn favor. Cats, Kanji thought. Piss them off or scare them, and they fluffed themselves up twice as big. He wondered if he should try putting her in bed, until his self-preservation instinct kicked in and he decided she was just fine where she was.

Should find her a blanket, though, keep her warm. If he draped his school coat over her then she'd kill him soon as she could walk straight. A blanket, she might think she fetched herself and forgot. Couldn't just bust into her bedroom to fetch one, but checking the living room closet was worth a try. Maybe, Kanji dared to think, he could get away with picking up those papers underneath the door while he was at it.

Careful not to wake Naoto, he crept over to the closet, pulled the door open - and gaped.

The closet was a wreck. Boxes overflowing with papers, two blankets tangled on the shelf, a crumpled shirt thrown in the corner, and CD cases scattered around the toppled piles of tattered books on the floors.

Kanji twitched.

Busy with the case, that was all. Probably meant to tidy it up any day now. There was no way - no way _at all_ - that somebody like Naoto would let a closet stay this way. The top two shelves were already clear, he noted hastily, and that had nothing to do with her not being tall enough to shove stuff on them.

Snatching the blanket, he shut the closet and tried to forget it existed. Slammed the door a little harder than he meant, but it didn't wake Naoto. Good thing, too; Kanji had the feeling she hadn't meant to fall asleep.

He draped the blanket over her, holding his breath when she stirred, and stepped back.

Stupid. Wasn't like she'd appreciate the gesture. He'd gotten nothing but grief for bringing her food, then snuck around her apartment just to do her a favor she'd never thank him for. Naoto was a pain in the ass. Specifically, a pain in the ass that had lied for months, barely acknowledged he existed and _still _had him hanging on every word she didn't say.

Kanji watched her a few moments longer, brow furrowed - then took the plate back to the kitchen, grabbed the cooler, and let himself out.


	15. Chapter 12

_A/N: Story so far: The team visited Naoto, repeatedly - leaving her convinced that ending up on a telephone pole might not have been that bad._

_In this part: Kanji wants a fistfight, Yukiko wants a rainbow, and figuring out what Naoto wants is impossible.  
_

* * *

**October 4th, 2011**

Boots pounding against the wet pavement, raindrops bombarding his umbrella, Kanji stormed down the street to Naoto's apartment and cursed Rise Kujikawa with every stride.

It'd been raining all day, the same steady downpour that meant fog was heading in. Not always the _bad_ sort of fog - sometimes weather was just weather - but it'd been over a week since they'd pulled Naoto out the television. The timing was right.

No problem, though. She was safe, they'd done everything right, and maybe now he could--

He shook his head, squirming at the drops of water that slid inside his jacket collar and down his neck. For a guy trying so hard to not-think about someone, he let Naoto work her way inside his head far too often. Naturally, Rise was making things worse. Running out on him last week had been seriously shitty, and he'd almost torn her a new one over it - but she'd still never apologized. Wouldn't admit she'd set him up, either. Just pouted a bunch, insisted Kanji was paranoid, then pulled almost the same stunt today. She'd dragged him aside this morning and told him she wanted to visit Naoto - he should _totally_ come along, Naoto-kun would love it - then called him while he was walking to the apartment and explained she had an errand to run, so she'd be just a little late - oh, and so would Yukiko-senpai, something had come up at the inn.

Fifth visit. Second time stuck alone in a room with Naoto, trying not to stare at her. At least he'd spent the other visits just trying to not get caught. Dammit, he'd expected Rise to screw him over, but Yukiko-senpai too?

...Then again, Yukiko was pretty clueless sometimes. On the other hand, Rise could talk a starving pig out a garbage can - and if the pig still said no, she'd just whine at it till it got desperate enough to jump. She'd probably been pulling strings on this all day. Kanji decided to give Yukiko the benefit of the doubt, and instead focused on cursing Rise as he walked up to the apartment lobby, folded his umbrella and heaved his bag back over his shoulder.

Maybe if he just decided he was over Naoto, he would be. Not that there was anything to get over. Only a dumb crush on someone who wasn't what he'd thought at all; someone who didn't even exist. Kanji had figured the thought would made him feel better, but the knot in his stomach, the one that'd been there since Naoto disappeared - hell, since she showed up in Inaba - only twisted tighter.

Stupid Rise. Stupid Naoto, too.

Kanji headed toward the elevator doors, glowered at them for a few seconds, then slammed his palm against the call button.

_t__humpthumpthump_

He glanced up.

_thumpthumpthump_

The noise was coming from his left. A lot of noises, getting faster and louder.

_thumpthumpthump_

Sounded like they were coming from behind the stairwell door. Sounded a lot like somebody running.

Frowning, Kanji shoved open the door, took a long stride towards the first step - and smacked straight into Naoto, barreling down the stairs at high speed.

The impact barely shook him. Naoto yelped and almost tumbled backwards. Steadying herself on the stair-rail, she shot him a flustered glare. "Why are--move, now!"

His brow furrowed. "Why? Where y'goin?"

"Out," snapped Naoto. She looked much better. Had to be, if she'd sprinted down four floors - but she still had one hand pressed flat against the wall, and the knuckles of the other were white around the rail. "Move!"

"But you're s'posed to be sick!"

The only answer was an angry grunt as she tried to duck under his arm, until he swung it down and blocked the way. Naoto shoved at it with both hands, growling.

Stubborn little bastard, Kanji thought. "Stoppit! Go back upstairs."

She opened her mouth to respond, but whatever she had in mind - probably nothing good - was lost in the sound of a door banging open, somewhere on a higher floor.

"Naoto! Don't you make me come down there!"

Kanji blinked. "That Chie-senpai?"

Naoto's eyes widened, and she tried to shove past him a second time, smacking her palms against his shoulder. "Tatsumi! Will you just _move?"_

What was he supposed to do here? Push her away? Pick her up? Kanji settled on a frown as Naoto launched a volley of blows against his arms and chest. "I ain't lettin' you--"

"I swear, Naoto-kun, you try that again and I'll kick you down the stairs myself!" Chie stood on the landing between floors, her arms spread wide between the stair-rails. "Thanks, Kanji-kun," she added, then went back to glaring at Naoto as she jogged down the last flight of steps.

Glares, Kanji had learned over the past few months, were ten times more terrifying when they came from girls. Especially girls that could kick you into orbit if you pissed them off. "No worries," he mumbled - noticing that Naoto had stopped beating him with her fists.

"What's wrong with you?" Chie snapped. "Why'd you run?"

Naoto made a sort-of-indignant, sort-of-frustrated noise and tugged at her cap. First time Kanji had seen her wear it since the rescue. Made her look like usual, even if he couldn't see her eyes.

He turned to Chie. "Somethin' happen?"

"Nothing! Yosuke and I were just _talking_. Next thing, the door slams, I hear footsteps hammering down the corridor and there's no Naoto!"

"Yeah, but she didn't get far. Told you we didn't need to run after her." Yosuke strolled down the stairs, hands shoved in his pockets, the tinny rattling from his headphones growing louder with each step. "Good catch, Tatsumi!"

With a low growl, Naoto gestured dramatically toward Kanji and almost smacked him in the chest. He wasn't certain he'd have noticed. "He did not _catch_ me! I was--"

"Like you'd run anywhere, Hanamura," Chie snapped, hands on hips. "Naoto-kun would've made it to Okina by the time you reached the street."

"Right," Yosuke deadpanned. "Because you're _way_ faster than me in a fight."

"At least _I _didn't fall down the strip club stairs!"

Naoto, about to make her fourth attempt at starting a sentence in the past fifteen seconds, suddenly stopped.

"Hey! No fair, the lighting there sucked!"

Kanji looked down at her. "Uh... you, you gonna go back to your apartment?"

Before Naoto could answer, Chie jumped in. "Yep, she sure is," she said with a grimace, then turned to Yosuke. "Wait here, I'll be back in a minute."

Kanji and Yosuke watched the two girls walk back up the stairs - or rather, Chie drag and scold Naoto, who was trying to start sentences again and kicking her feet against every step.

"So… visit went good?" Kanji asked, as the stairwell door slammed three floors above.

"Oh, just great." Yosuke rolled his eyes. "All those glares and awkward silences are really helping us bond as a team."

Any visit from Yosuke and Chie wasn't likely to involve silence at all, awkward or otherwise. They'd come by the shop together back in May and argued themselves stupid. Nearly Kanji, too. "Why're you here with Chie-senpai?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Kanji shrugged. "Dunno. Figured you'd visit with Souji-senpai, I guess."

"So, what, I'm his extra head?" Yosuke snapped, scowling. "Look, Chie was at school and I was gonna come here anyway and I figured I might as well go with _somebody_ instead of just sitting around not-talking with Naoto." It came out in one burst, and by the end he'd almost tied his headphone cord in a double knot.

"Just askin'. Don't get shitty."

"Yeah, well." Yosuke's lips curled into a smirk. "Guess Naoto-kun's getting on great with you, though. Seeing as you visit her all by yourself."

Under Rise and Chie's poking, Kanji had tried to get used to Yosuke's innate talent for being an ass. Hadn't worked. "Shut it, idiot."

"I dunno, Kanji, kinda think I should send Yukiko along as chaperone. Wait a sec, maybe you're not into Naoto anymore, huh? Since she's not--" The rest was lost in a yelp as Kanji lunged forward, grabbed Yosuke's jacket collar and shoved him against the wall.

"I said _shut it_!"

"Hey! Chill, Kanji! I'm just... c'mon, you get it, right?"

Kanji's hands fell to his sides. Shit, he hadn't meant to do that. "No, an' neither do you."

"Dude, I swear I was just kidding." Yosuke tugged his jacket back into place, watching Kanji carefully. "Naoto's not a guy anyway."

"Still the same person." Kanji had no idea if it was true, but any lie was better than letting on that he still had the same doubts as before, maybe always would.

Yosuke shrugged. "Yeah, but it's different, you know that."

"Quit bugging him, Yosuke." Chie jogged down the last flight of stairs. Distracted as he'd been, Kanji hadn't heard her footsteps. "Naoto's all yours, Kanji-kun. Good luck."

Kanji nodded, mumbled a half-apology to Yosuke, then climbed the stairs to the fourth floor two steps at a time. When he reached Naoto's apartment, the door was already closed. He raised his hand to knock - wondering why his knuckles hadn't left dents in the surface, he'd been here so often the past week - but it swung wide open before he could finish the motion.

Without looking or speaking, or acknowledging him in any other way, Naoto turned on her heels and stalked back inside. Kanji followed, equally silent and hoping he'd piss her off just as much as she did him.

Naturally, the first thing he noticed after kicking off his boots was the sheaf of papers still stuffed under the closet door. The second was the pile of books on the floor, which led to the third - a vase of flowers on the middle bookshelf. Same flowers Rise had made him deliver after standing him up. "You, uh, got a vase."

"I requested that Hanamura-san purchase one at Junes on my behalf."

He frowned, poking at one of the petals. "Thought y'said flowers were pointless."

"They are," was Naoto's quick retort. "But keeping them in an orange juice container is inappropriate."

Kanji had figured it was a neat idea, given a lack of alternatives. Garish as the flowers were, he couldn't have just left them lying around in the kitchen. But maybe Naoto thought he was weird for even caring. Hell, maybe Rise'd let on that he'd wanted to help pick the flowers out. Jaw clenched tight, he skulked off to the kitchen and dumped the bag on the counter. Naoto appeared in the doorway moments later.

He hoped she'd say something to keep the not-conversation going - Rise would've, girl never met a silence she couldn't fill - but instead she just watched him unpack the bag. Inside were a few extra sheets of class notes, a couple of plastic boxes and some more juice (seeing as he'd wrecked her last carton, expired or not and no matter how little she appreciated the reason). Kanji decided he'd have to pack three times as much if he ever came back, because with the bag now empty there was no reason to keep looking at the kitchen counter instead of at Naoto.

Moments passed.

Kanji's patience finally snapped. "Whass'matter with you?"

"You were here two days ago."

"An' now I'm back," he muttered, fingers clamped around the edge of the counter. The others had come by more often than him, right? Senpai'd probably been back and forth all the time.

"Alone?"

"Nah. Rise and Yukiko-senpai, they're gonna show up soon."

He finally dared to look up. Naoto was staring at the floor and toying with her collar. Kanji kept watching, trying to gauge her expression under her cap and figure out whether she'd rather have Rise and Yukiko talk her ears off than deal with him - but when her gaze snapped up to the two plastic boxes stacked on top of each other on the counter, he quickly turned away.

"You brought more food," she pointed out.

"Chicken mizutaki. That okay?"

No answer. A nod, maybe?

Damn, this was _awkward_.

Kanji grit his teeth. "So... feelin' better?"

"Yes." Her voice shifted, suddenly cold and clipped. "So you should have _moved_."

"What?"

"The stairs. You _blocked_ them. I simply wanted--"

Kanji twisted round, swinging his hand toward the door. "Wanted t'what? Run out into traffic?"

"We have a killer to locate. My idling here achieves nothing!"

"You ain't gonna get anything done 'till you're better!"

"Why does everyone think I'm--I am fine, I have things to do, the case isn't..." She trailed off, pinching the bridge of her nose between two fingers. "...We need fresh leads. More information."

Kid had a point. Save for knowing who _wasn't_ the killer, they'd crashed back to the start. "I know, alright? We got nothing."

"Indeed," Naoto muttered, then let out a long breath. "How did you handle this in the past?"

He shrugged. "Waited till somebody vanished, I guess."

"Ridiculous. We must be proactive about this."

"Senpai's decision. He's the boss," Kanji said - watching as Naoto's shoulders tensed. "You rushed off last time, look where it got you!"

"It 'got me' proof that the police have the wrong man."

"Big deal!" Kanji stepped closer, fists balled. "You seriously think that was worth gettin' yourself killed for?"

"I am alive and well. A fact you all seem determined to completely disregard!"

"Dammit, are you a complete idiot?"

Naoto instantly bristled, eyes flashing dangerously. "I do _not _value your--"

"Practically throwin' yourself in, never even telling us! Shit, Naoto, we almost didn't make it, took us a whole week just to figure out where the hell you were!"

He'd stepped forward again at some point, leaving him towering over her. Naoto just leaned toward him in turn, chin tipped up, one finger pointing square at his chest. "I took the most reasonable course of action to achieve my aim, I had approached you all previously and none of you were willing to divulge any useful information! I asked _you_ directly, and you offered nothing but evasion - what else could I have done?"

"I dunno, how about anything _except_ throwing yourself in a television?!"

"Listen, Tatsumi, at no point did I--"

"No, you listen! You coulda told someone, left us a damn note, just swaggered on up and said you'd figured us out - screw it, I don't even care, you got no idea how I felt!"

Dead silence fell. Naoto's hand froze, locked mid-point.

"Uh - how all of us felt. The team," Kanji quickly added, silently willing the kitchen floor to collapse beneath his feet.

She stared at him for a beat, expression blank - then tugged at her cap and folded her arms in what seemed like a single movement. "Your assumption is incorrect. Rise-san has already stated that you were concerned for my well-being."

"W-we all were, y'know?" He made a mental note to do more yelling at Rise later that day. "Course we were."

"Pointless. Do you really believe I'm--I, I am not incapable and I do _not_ require anyone's pity! Something I wish all of you would recognize," she added darkly.

Dumb as he knew it was, Kanji had hoped for an apology, or at least some sort of acknowledgment of how damn stupid she'd been. Wishful thinking. "It ain't that I'm not happy you're back," he said, running a hand through his hair. "The team, y'know. We're all glad."

"Double negative," Naoto muttered.

"What?"

"Saying that something isn't not the case. Double negative. What you should say is, 'I'm happy that you're--" The sentence stopped short, and Naoto unfolded her arms then folded them again a moment later. "You understand."

Kanji wished intently that they could just settle this with a brawl instead. Worked for everything else. "Whatever. I, I ain't the only one to think it, alright?"

"I know. Satonaka-san made her opinion _perfectly _clear. To the point where even Hanamura-san began to defend my actions." Naoto hesitated; mouth twitching with what almost looked like a wince. "At high volume."

No wonder she'd bolted. Kanji might've jumped out the window. "Yeah, they're real good at that. 'Specially if they get to do it loud."

She nodded glumly, then turned and walked back into the living room. Kanji followed; the mizutaki could wait.

"S'probably no consolation," he offered, "but after I got pulled out, they came by almost every day. Third time round, Ma threatened to throw all of us out in the street." And with Ma, that took a lot. "But they're good guys, y'know?"

"Yes." Naoto paused in front of the couch, one hand on her hip, and stared at the floor by his feet. "Which is why I..."

"Uh... which is why what?"

Again, Naoto didn't answer. Out in the living room, Kanji could hear the rain beat against the window; maybe the extra sound was why this silence didn't feel so taut.

"Tatsumi." Soon as she'd begun, Naoto hesitated and shook her head. "Kanji-kun. I... I ought to... demonstrate gratitude. Express regret."

It sounded like a robot reading a foreign language textbook. Kanji still blinked.

He'd definitely missed something. Maybe an entire conversation. "Uh... for what?"

"For... for my behavior, I was--you see, Seta-san has... informed me of my failings as regards your group. That I must make amends and, and accept this new situation." Her shoulders slumped slightly. "I may as well start now."

Kanji's fingers snarled in the hem of his shirt. "S'right, he already talked to you." More than that, he'd actually got her to _listen_.

Naoto nodded. "Twice. And provided me with a very thorough explanation of your group's actions thus far. He's an intelligent man. It's no wonder he's led you all so successfully."

"You... he said you guys talked a while."

"I suppose," she said, with a small shrug. "Why?"

Figures. Both smart, probably had tons to talk about. Kanji wanted to ask what was so damn special about Senpai that Naoto had listened to him - but the answer was obvious. Instead, he settled for a noise he hoped she'd take as indifference. Naoto, meanwhile, contemplated the floor.

More moments passed.

"Uh… s'good," Kanji eventually managed. "Y'know. Wanting to be friends." Friends with him, he let himself think, heat starting to creep over his cheeks.

"Perhaps. I had intended to... explain my new stance to Satonaka-san and Hanamura-san, but... well." Naoto frowned. "Um… what was that about strip--"

"Y'can tell Rise and Yukiko-senpai instead," Kanji said hurriedly. "They're gonna be here any time." Or they were supposed to be. Rise could've just as easily gone to gawk at Souji-senpai across a library table all afternoon instead. "They, uh, they wanna see you."

Naoto opened her mouth to respond - then instantly closed it, jaw tightening. "That's.... kind of them."

It was a nice try, and a complete failure. "Ain't what you're thinking at all, is it?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Why do you pres--" She stopped, mouth clamped shut again, and took a deep breath. "We simply have little in common."

"So ask 'em to leave. Say you're tired."

Naoto's fingers moved to her shirt collar, then fell away and curled into a fist at her side. "That would be counterproductive. As I have stated, I must accept these things, since I intend to join your investigation."

Kanji blinked. "You serious?"

"Having spoken with Seta-san, I believe it the only rational course of action. Combining our resources would be a mutually beneficial arrangement."

A bunch of big words, spouted in a rush - but from the bits Kanji could decode, Naoto had just made teaming up sound like opening a joint bank account. "Huh... you mean we'll kick more ass, right?"

She raised an eyebrow. "...I suppose that's one way of phrasing it."

"Coulda signed up before, if you'd just said you'd figured us out." He wasn't sure how true that was - maybe Senpai would've denied the whole affair to someone without a Persona - but it would've been worth a try.

But if things _had_ gone that way, none of them would know who Naoto Shirogane really was. Or what.

Hand on hip, Naoto stared at the ceiling and started tapping her foot against the living room floor. The rhythm jarred with the rain outside. "I had originally thought--well, before, I had anticipated that your group might require--"

"We didn't not want to tell you everything, yeah?" At least, _he_ hadn't.

"Double negative. Again. You struggle with composition."

Kanji swore his face would burst into flame, and tried to head it off with a scowl. "So? Ain't like you don't--ah, shit." His cheeks flushed hotter. "Fine, laugh, whatever!"

"I was stating a fact." Naoto looked away, foot still tapping. "If you require some assistance. With schoolwork."

Deciding he needed something to stare at that wasn't Naoto, Kanji swiveled toward the bookshelf. "I don't want t'copy your stuff. Ain't right. 'Sides, Senpai'd freak."

"No. I meant... I would help you. Instruct you. Rise-san has informed me that Amagi-san does the same for Satonaka-san, and Seta-san for her and Hanamura-san. She also declared it beneficial and suggested I do the same for you."

Kanji didn't have the heart to explain that Rise was less interested in improving her work and more in improving her chances with Senpai; also, in making Kanji's life as difficult as possible. Besides, he was busy convincing himself not to run out the door. Shit, study sessions? With Naoto? Fastest way in the world for her to figure out what a moron he was.

"So. This would, would appear appropriate. Since Seta-san has instructed me to... adapt." Naoto's voice quickened. "Of course, if you do not wish to--"

"Uh, no, I... I mean, maybe not now, but later, yeah? Once you're back. Everything settled." Kanji swallowed hard and glowered at the bookshelf. Stupid books. "Just... don't expect a lot, alright?"

She'd laugh at him. Admittedly, he'd never seen her do that before, but this would make her start. She'd probably read all these big books, too, not only the pulp detective stuff. Just reading some of the titles made Kanji's eyelids heavy. His eyes drifted to the thickest volume on the shelf, which he figured was some police textbook - until he realized he recognized the name. The Daijisen. Same dictionary the school principal said all good students should own - except even the kind of useless students like Kanji knew you just looked that crap up on the internet if you really cared, because who the hell kept _books_?

...Naoto, of course. Which was why he'd meant to buy himself one of these for home, teach himself enough words to hold a conversation with her. Him, back then. Some hope. Vocabulary had never been the problem.

"You are interested in dictionaries?"

Kanji nearly jumped. Naoto had snuck up on him. She now stood at his elbow, peering up from under her hat.

"No. Just looking. Thought... y'know, maybe get one someday." He swallowed. "Good for reading, all that crap."

"You read?"

"I--I used to. When I was a k-kid," he stammered, his mind pointing out that if he told her what, he'd be obliged to kick his own ass (and sounding way too much like Take-Mikazuchi as it did.)

Naoto's eyes narrowed. "That contradicts your earlier statement outside the bookshop."

"Yeah. I know. Just..." He hesitated, both weirded-out that she remembered and wishing he'd learn to shut his stupid mouth. "Like I said, a kid."

"What genres?"

"Usual. Y'know."

"No," Naoto said flatly.

Kanji was about to make something up - books about dinosaurs in spaceships, maybe - when the door burst open. "Hey, guys!"

Crap. He'd hadn't closed the door. Naoto-induced absent-mindedness. "Rise?"

Rise barged into the room, a pigtail whirlwind with Yukiko in tow. "Yep! Honestly, Naoto-kun, you need to remember to lock up, someone could just waltz on over and kidnap you again." She twirled toward Kanji. "Hey there, Kanji-kun. Having fun?"

"None of your business," he snapped. On one hand, Rise had saved his ass, or at least saved him from having to kick it. On the other, she was a conniving brat and he wished she'd gotten lost on the way to the apartment.

Meanwhile, Naoto had worked up a serious glare. "I _intended_ to be kidnapped, Rise-san, I am perfectly capable of def--"

"Kidding, Naoto! Besides, you've got Kanji-kun here to protect you." Rise threw her arms around Naoto's shoulders, turning the rest of the indignant response into something wordless, high-pitched and unhappy. "Right, Yukiko-senpai?"

Yukiko had been wearing the same vague look of confusion since she'd walked into the room. "Hmm? Oh... that's right. Kanji-kun's quite strong." She hesitated, brow delicately creased. "Although... I remember in middle school, he--"

"Yeah, that's great, you wanna siddown or what?" Kanji snapped, then stormed off into the kitchen to make some tea.

**

* * *

**

******October 5****th****, 2011**

The rain still hadn't stopped. Sitting cross-legged on the floor of the store, planning out a winter hat and scarf display, Kanji listened to it hammer against the window and wondered when the fog would hit. Yosuke had sworn up and down it'd be tonight, Senpai never got it wrong.

Only a few hours before it got dark, though. Maybe Senpai hadn't called it this time. Not everyone was perfect; not even him. Hell, definitely not Naoto, who Kanji still couldn't shake out his head - especially knowing that, even though they'd spoken about five times ever, Souji-senpai had still managed to--

Scarves. He'd hang them by color. Neutral for the adults, primaries for the kids. No, split them up by fabric too, women usually asked. Which left the hats, but there wasn't one of those to match every scarf and they wouldn't all fit on the rack. Maybe he needed to dig the mannequin heads out of storage, set a couple of them up near the window?

The shop door opened, ringing the bell on the frame. Kanji barely noticed, too busy figuring out what to do with the damn hats and trying not to wonder whether Naoto looked better with or without hers. He definitely didn't hear the footsteps; no surprise, once he heard the voice and knew who'd made them. "Kanji-kun?"

Kanji twisted round. "Oh, s'up, Yukiko-senpai."

"Scarves? Isn't it still too warm for that?" she asked, looking at the half-finished display rack.

Wait. She was wearing a kimono and haori. Meaning she was here for the inn.

He jumped to his feet, a flurry of scarves following. "Crap, sorry! Wasn't paying attention. Thought Ma had the counter," he added - trying to figure out if he'd seen her kimono before. Wasn't one from the store, but it still looked really well put-together. Good quality silk, and hand-sewn, of course; most machines wrecked that stuff off the bat. Design was nice too. Classy. Pale lavender, with white flowers sewn into the fabric - or blossoms, maybe, looked like there were a few small branches in there too. Not quite right for the fall, though. If he could see the petals, then--

"Um... what are you staring at?" Yukiko asked, staring at him in turn.

"Uh. Sorry," he mumbled. "Your kimono, it ain't one of ours. Where'd you get it?"

"Oh! My grandmother. She sends me at least four a year." Yukiko let out a quiet sigh. "This one came with a matching umbrella."

"She got good taste. None of that city store crap. Man, they don't even use silk!"

"But you get your shirts from the city, don't you?"

"A t-shirt ain't a kimono," Kanji said weightily - not mentioning that she was wrong and that he'd finally figured out exactly the right printing technique to make a heart-eyed skull survive a full year's worth of wear.

"Grandmother wouldn't like it, but... I thought about asking for some brighter designs, like I've seen online," Yukiko whispered, glancing round the store like her grandma might be hiding behind a shelf.

Kanji shrugged. "Eh, leave the garish stuff to Rise. She makes it work."

"Ah, Yuki-chan!" Ma stepped through the stockroom door, a roll of fabric under her arm. "I wondered who Kanji-chan was chattering with. My, you look lovely!"

Yukiko bowed politely. "Thank you, Tatsumi-sama."

Ma hummed approvingly. "You came to fetch the paperwork for your mother, correct? I'm sorry, we've been so busy lately, I haven't had chance to pass it on."

"That's no problem at all, Tatsumi-sama. I'm happy to deliver it."

"Oh, you're a helpful girl! Kanji-chan could learn a lot from you. Usually he'd help with the backlog, but he's given up sewing in favor of cooking lately." She shot him a stern look, then turned back to Yukiko. "Do you think your mother could find him a kitchen job at the inn?"

Yukiko dissolved into giggles, while Kanji settled for a glare. "Ma! Shut up!"

"Midnight's such an odd time to make dinner, too," Ma added, sighing, as she walked back inside the stockroom.

"Old bat," he muttered.

"Tatsumi-san is your mother, Kanji-ch--I mean, Kanji-kun. You should be polite," Yukiko managed - then let out a laugh verging on a snort. "Oh, but I can just imagine you running around the inn in an apron!"

Nothing wrong with aprons, Kanji reminded himself. "She's exaggeratin' anyway! 'S not been that many times _and_ it ain't always at midnight." Besides, she was old, shouldn't she have been sleeping?

Yukiko smiled, shoulders still shaking with laughter. "Let me guess... Chef Tatsumi's cooking for Naoto-kun?"

"Never said that," Kanji muttered, then flopped back down on the floor and started poking at a pile of hats.

"Doesn't Rise-chan mind? She was very excited about making food to take over."

"Been telling her s'all leftovers. Don't wanna hurt her feelings."

"I'm surprised Naoto-kun hasn't commented on Rise's cooking. It seems like something she'd--" Yukiko paused. "But... you know, she was very nice at the end of our last visit. I wonder if Souji-kun said something to her."

Kanji grunted. _Very nice_ just meant Naoto'd thanked them for visiting on their way out the door, instead of folding her arms and ignoring them. Still, the noise must've sounded like agreement, because Yukiko kept going. "He's been distracted ever since Naoto-kun disappeared. I can't really blame him, it's like we haven't accomplished anything." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "All these months and we aren't any closer to finding out who the true killer is."

"Well, we know who it ain't."

She nodded. "After all that effort with Kubo. Ugh, I hated that dungeon quest thing, it gave me such a headache!"

No kidding. Everything Kanji looked at had turned into giant blocks for a whole month after. Screwed up his sewing completely. He shifted his shoulders, then gestured to an empty spot on the floor among the scarves. "You can sit down, yeah? Ma probably got sidetracked."

Yukiko carefully knelt down beside him, folding her legs in a way he couldn't quite follow. "You know, Kanji-kun, when we started all this... I did it for Chie, really. But I started to enjoy it. I'd never done anything like this before. And the fire..." She trailed off and stared down at her hands, slim fingers bunching in her kimono. "But it doesn't feel like fun anymore. It feels like we've done everything wrong."

"No way! Look at all the people you helped. Naoto, Rise." He jabbed a thumb towards his chest. "Me, too. And Senpai's on top of everything, he'll figure stuff out."

She nodded. "... You're right, I'm sorry. And I'm sure having Naoto-kun around will make Souji-kun feel much better."

"Whassat s'posed to mean?" Kanji snapped, grabbing a turquoise silk scarf and trying not to yell.

"Well... Naoto-kun's a detective, isn't she? She probably knows all kinds of investigation techniques." Yukiko frowned. "Why? What did you think I meant?"

_Investigation techniques_. Right. Staring at the wall, Kanji willed the heat from his cheeks. "Nothin'."

**

* * *

**

**October 6****th,**** 2011**

Naoto hadn't moved in the last fifteen minutes.

From outside the window, Kanji could barely see her face - she had her head tilted down toward her desk, so her eyes were hidden under the brim of her cap - but her arms were folded tight over her chest and she hadn't looked up at all, not even when other students walked in the room.

What the hell was up?

A hand grabbed his elbow. Kanji, guessing who the hand was attached to, refused to look down. "Get lost, Rise."

"Oh, so you can spy on Naoto-kun through a classroom window?" Rise stood on tiptoes next to him and peered through the glass. "That's so weird, Kanji-kun. It's only her first day back."

"I-I ain't--" Except he was. No two ways. "Dammit, go bother Senpai!"

"Nah, this is way more fun," insisted Rise, then poked him in the ribs. "So, when are you gonna ask her out? Sweep her off her feet?"

"Whassit to you?"

"_Duh_. I'm your friend. And you gotta get in there before some other guy does." She shrugged. "Or girl, I guess."

She had a point. Kanji had already heard a few girls this morning lamenting that their favorite Detective wasn't technically a Prince. He'd also heard more than a few others claim that was a minor detail.

Rise rocked back on her heels, humming thoughtfully. "Shame Naoto-kun isn't really a guy. I thought she was kinda good-looking, you know." She sighed dramatically, one hand pressed to her forehead. "And now there's _another_ girl I gotta fight off for Senpai!"

"Shut it. She don't even like him." Even though every other girl in the school did. Maybe the whole town.

"C'mon, Kanji-kun. I'm kidding. It's great that Naoto-kun's a girl. You and her are gonna be so cute together!"

"I said shut it!" he hissed. "S'none of your business!"

First Yosuke, now Rise. _It's cool, she's a chick, you were normal all along!_ As if his head had just thrown out all that stuff from earlier in the year; like everything came down to Naoto.

Lately, Kanji had wondered if it did.

Then he noticed Rise hadn't said anything for the past ten seconds. Which was definitely Not-Rise - and when he glanced down, she was biting her lip.

"You don't have to be like _that_," she said quietly.

"Ah… crap, Rise, I'm sorry. It's just… " Kanji scratched his neck as he fumbled for the right words, before deciding it wasn't worth the effort. "Didn't mean it."

She tipped her head to the left, eyes narrowed, then let out a breath. "Kanji-kun, you're gonna drive yourself crazy. Me too." The smile leapt back to her face in an instant. "C'mon, why don't we go in and talk to Naoto-kun? Maybe all the gossip's getting her down." Her eyebrows arched. "You wouldn't believe some of the rumors going round."

Kanji's first, primal impulse was to demand she tell him what each rumor was, who'd made it up and where he could find them. Naoto wouldn't appreciate the effort, though. Neither would the school principal. Grumbling under his breath, he followed Rise inside the classroom and over to Naoto.

"Hey, Naoto-kun!" Rise perched on the desk, one palm flat against the surface.

Naoto didn't look up. "Rise-san."

Kanji waited for his name. It never came. "Uh. Hey."

"Tatsumi."

He opened his mouth to answer, not really knowing what he'd say - but as usual, Rise got there first. "You look a lot better, Naoto-kun. Handsome as always!" she chirped, then winked. "I saw all those letters piling up while you were away. Almost as many as I get."

Naoto just shrugged.

A weird, awkward silence curled around the three of them, and Kanji started to wish he was back in Void Quest.

"Well!" Rise jumped down from the desk. "Guess I'll go now! Kanji-kun wanted to talk to you, anyway."

"No I did--" Kanji started, then yelped when Rise stamped on his foot.

"You sure did!" she trilled dangerously, with a pointed look. "_Remember?_"

"Uh?" Hold on. Was this another--

"Bye, guys!" Rise was already halfway to the door. "Gotta run!"

Kanji watched her run out into the corridor, his fist half-raised - then looked back at Naoto, who was staring at him with her arms still folded. "You had something to say."

"Uh," he repeated, eyes wide.

Naoto kept staring.

He swallowed hard and squared his shoulders. "Y-yeah. Yeah, I do!" Both his palms slammed against the desk; Naoto didn't seem impressed. "Whass wrong?"

"Nothing."

"But... you..." _Seemed just fine two days ago and didn't make me have a conversation by myself. _"So...uh, you're still wearin' the boy's--"

"There's no reason to change. I am accustomed to this," Naoto said briskly. Her shoulders tensed. "If there is a problem..."

"No, no! Whatever works, y'know?" The image of Naoto in a girl's uniform was both really damn cute and really damn weird. Kanji wasn't sure whether it'd leave him stuffing a tissue up his nose or break his brain for good.

"Then this, for now."

"Ain't nobody gonna give you trouble over it, don't worry." This was solid ground; Kanji cracked his knuckles for emphasis. "'Cause if they do--"

"Unnecessary," she muttered. "People talk. I... I am still myself. I am simply now open regarding my gender."

"Well... that's great, right? Secrets. Bad news," he added, trying not to feel like a hypocrite.

"I was... there was nothing wrong with--" The sentence stopped short; Naoto tensed her jaw and stared straight ahead. "Of course. You are right."

Two days since he'd seen her, that was all. Not for the first time, Kanji knew there was something crucial he was missing; not so much a piece of the puzzle as a picture telling him what the damn thing was supposed to look like.

"S'good you're back," he tried.

Naoto looked up, expression perfectly blank. "Tatsumi. If you will excuse me, I must catch up on my missed work before class."

Kanji considered several responses: _you probably did it already, then where's your damn textbook, what the hell changed_. He settled for the easiest of all: cursing under his breath and storming out the classroom, slamming the door behind him.


	16. Chapter 13

_A/N: Story so far: Rise kept up her own subtle brand of matchmaking, while Kanji and Naoto almost had a real conversation (until she decided she missed being a jerk.) _

_In this part: Kanji doesn't talk about sewing club, Naoto joins the team, and Rise explains the most crucial part of female friendship._

_(A delay on this one... apologies, the next part should be speedier. Many thanks to Rayless Night for game dialogue details when Souji turns down Naoto's request to join the team.)  
_

_

* * *

_

**October 6th 2011**

By noon, Kanji still hadn't figured out what the hell was up with Naoto - despite spending most of the morning mathematics class thinking about it, to the point where Nakayama-sensei had kept him late afterward to lecture him on the importance of paying attention (which soon turned into a long rant about how her husband never did). Next had been Composition, where he'd genuinely tried to listen. Looked at the textbook and everything. However, Kanji had never been great at talking himself out of a temper - or doing much of anything while in one, besides breaking heads and yelling a bunch - and all his good intentions still hadn't made grammar any easier to understand. They hadn't helped with Naoto either.

There was one thing that would cheer him up for certain: sewing club. Put together some gloves. Knit a hat, if it came to it. Problem was, after three months back at school Kanji still hadn't worked up the guts to walk through the door of the Home Economics room. The closest he could get was standing in the corridor outside, staring through the classroom window while two second years tried and failed to sew together a tote bag. Busy swallowing the urge to slam through the door before the idiots jammed the sewing machine, he didn't register the person who'd walked up beside him until they spoke, voice clear and clipped. "Kanji-kun."

He looked down. Naoto stood next to him, her shoulders squared and back straight. The image sent him flashing back to their first meeting, and the way she hadn't bat an eye at talking with a punk who could've taken her down with one swing.

Kanji glared back at the window - then quickly dropped his gaze to the floor before Naoto could ask what he was looking at.

"Seta-san has requested your attendance at a meeting after school," she told him. "At Junes, of course."

"Right. Thanks." Then, because some part of him didn't see the point in acting like an asshole just because she had, he quickly added, "You, uh, gonna show too?"

He chanced a glance up and to the side, just in time to catch Naoto's swift nod. "Yes." She paused. "I hope to see you there."

Then she turned and strode back down the corridor. By the time Kanji had realized the obvious - that they'd be meeting so she could officially join the team - she'd already disappeared up the stairs.

**

* * *

**

Never one to break a streak, Kanji spent the last class of the day thinking about dumb detectives instead of learning about volcanoes. Fortunately, the teacher was too distracted by a bout of message-passing at the back of the room to notice him frowning at the wall. Unfortunately, he still got kept behind for ten minutes to collect the other kids' assignments while Yamada-sensei ragged on him for forgetting to bring his own.

Rise was decent enough to wait for him outside the school gates - but not enough to stop herself from yapping about nothing in particular the whole way to Junes. With a skill refined by every pointless class he'd ever sat through, Kanji automatically tuned her out.

Soon as he'd seen Naoto at lunch, he'd decided to act just the same way she had that morning. He'd quickly reconsidered. First, that stuff just didn't come naturally. If Kanji was pissed at somebody, they soon knew it - either because he was yelling the reason at them, or because he'd smacked them through a wall.

Second, the idea had seemed kind of unnecessary. Fine, Naoto hadn't been _nice_, but she'd said more than two words. Big change from the morning.

Said she hoped she'd see him, too.

Which was just a polite, throwaway comment. No point getting caught up in it. Kanji straightened, pushed Naoto's words out of his head, and congratulated himself on his greatest achievement of the day: avoiding explaining why he was staring through the window of the Home Economics classroom. Shit, that would've been awkward. Scratch that, impossible; no way would Naoto understand.

...Then again, maybe she would. Okay, a girl who behaved like a guy and a guy who just happened to like stuff people _thought_ was girly, they weren't the same thing. But kind of close, right?

"Kanji-kun, are you listening?"

Not that he acted like a chick. No way. One hundred percent pure man.

"Right. Of course not. You never do."

Guys could like kittens and cute things and sewing - and if they wanted to keep that to themselves, that was cool too. Man's choice.

"Fine! Walk to Junes by yourself next time!"

When Kanji turned his head, Rise was glaring up at him with a look that could freeze lava. Crap, he'd drifted out too long.

"You're so _mean_," she muttered, arms folded, "I wait for you outside school forever and then you don't even listen to me talk."

"'Course I listen!" Kanji lied.

"Really? So what'd I say about Ichigo-senpai and Ohtani-senpai?"

He blinked. "Uh..."

"Nothing, that's what. I knew you weren't paying attention!" Rise let out a huff of annoyance. "I was gonna tell you I'd figured out what was up with Naoto-kun - but I don't think I'll bother."

Typical Rise, especially when she was pissed off. Kanji grit his teeth and glared at the sidewalk for a full five seconds before finally giving in. "Alright, fine. What is it?"

She smirked. "I'll tell you later."

"C'mon! Why can't y'just say now?"

Rise stuck out her tongue. "Because you're a big meanie," she chirped, then shrugged. "Anyway, it's nothing major. At least, I don't think so."

She probably had it wrong anyway. Rise had a scary knack for knowing everything that was going on with everyone, sometimes before they did - but she wasn't that close to Naoto. Kanji had never even seen them talk, not properly. Not the way he and Naoto had. That thing with the books counted as a real conversation, right?

By the time they arrived at the food court, everyone else was already there - including Naoto, who was wedged between Teddie and Yukiko at the table. She was leaning forward with her hands on her knees, cap tugged down almost far enough to cover her eyes. At least, Kanji thought - and wanted to kick himself for it - she wasn't sitting next to Souji.

"Hey guys!" Rise waved at them all; as usual, lingering on Senpai for just a little too long. "Sorry we're late. Kanji-kun was getting yelled at by Yamada-sensei."

Chie raised her eyebrows. "Again? Isn't that the second time this week?"

"Don't matter," he snapped, stealing a quick glance at Naoto - like she didn't think he was dumb already - and hoping Souj would let the issue slide. He'd already pulled Kanji aside for an Important Talk about working hard in class, back in June; it'd lasted almost an hour and left Kanji wishing he'd just kept skipping school.

Fortunately, Senpai didn't seem to notice. Unfortunately, all his attention was on Naoto. "So," he said, gaze fixed on her, "do you remember what happened before you were taken?"

This had to be for the team's benefit, right? He'd already have asked her all this already during his visits. But Naoto nodded all the same, then took a deep breath. "First, I heard the doorbell ring - but when I opened the front door, I saw no-one there. Just as alarm bells sounded in my mind, someone grabbed me roughly from behind and covered my mouth with a rag."

Something was different, Kanji thought. Not just her attitude, though that'd done a one-eighty since the morning.

"To keep you quiet?" Yukiko asked, brow furrowed.

"Primarily to incapacitate me. I believe it had been soaked in chloroform. Immediately afterward, I was put into a sack and most likely carried on the culprit's shoulder."

Rise's eyes widened. "Wow, how could you remember all that? I don't remember anything that happened to me."

"Well, I wasn't completely unconscious. I'd been expecting a trick along those lines, so I was somewhat prepared," Naoto pointed out, a little more smugly than Kanji would've liked. "And of course, I was desperate to gather as much information as I could."

The voice. That was the change. Clearer, clipped, way deeper - and exactly the same as the first time they'd met.

Teddie grinned and tapped a paw against her back. "No wonder you're an ace detective!"

Though Naoto visibly flinched, Kanji swore he saw her smirk. She seemed in her element; like she'd forgotten everything they talked about, all that stuff about how she'd worried them for nothing. "Dammit, don't encourage her," he muttered, shaking his head.

Naoto snapped toward him, eyes narrowed. "I did what was necessary to further the investigation."

They'd been over this already. No point rehashing old ground. Though his fists balled at his sides on reflex, Kanji kept his voice steady. "It still ain't something to be proud of, alright? You are too damn _calm_ 'bout all this."

"There was never any reason to--"

"What did you notice about the kidnapper?" Senpai asked, cutting Naoto off and the argument with it. He caught Kanji's eye for a moment, then leaned back in his chair.

"Due to their position, I was unable to see their face," Naoto explained. "However, judging by their actions and body type, I would say they're definitely male. I heard no conversations or voices, so I believe our culprit is acting alone."

Yosuke frowned, drumming his fingers against the table. "Huh… seems like a lot of work for one man."

Kanji had been thinking pretty much the same thing. Had one guy seriously been able to overpower him? The chemicals would've knocked him out, but... "How the hell did he carry _me _in a sack?"

Rise poked him in the side. "He probably just rolled you across the floor, Kanji-kun."

"Hey, we've got forklift trucks in the stockroom downstairs," Yosuke added with a smirk.

"Then the kidnapper must work at Junes!" exclaimed Teddie. "I wonder who it is?"

Chie leaned back in her chair and gave Kanji a wide grin. "I wanna know how he even fit you in the sack to start with!"

"He'd need a big one, wouldn't he?" giggled Yukiko, edging closer to another full-on fit.

As the conversation collapsed into dumb jokes, him being the butt of most of them, Kanji realized Naoto hadn't chimed in. Instead, she was staring intently at her can of soda, both hands still on her knees.

Souji, meanwhile, was kneading his knuckles against his forehead so hard he'd probably leave dents. "Guys. We're getting off-topic."

Yosuke's expression immediately turned serious. "Yeah. Sorry, partner." He leaned over the table, resting his elbows on the surface. "Okay, Naoto. What happened after you were in the sack?"

Naoto glanced up. "Ah... well, I'm afraid things get murky. I felt a single impact, which I assume is when I was thrown inside the TV." Her forehead creased slightly. "But the time from kidnapping to that point seemed too short... it was a matter of minutes."

"So you were immediately thrown inside the TV after being kidnapped..." Chie's eyes widened. "Oh! Could there have been a TV on the side of the road?"

Somewhere to his right, Kanji heard Yosuke quietly groan.

"That's… not very likely," Souji muttered, knuckles back at his forehead.

"Yeah. But, Naoto, are you saying the killer just came right up to the door and rang the bell? That's crazy." Yosuke looked at Yukiko, then glanced between Rise and Kanji in turn. "Do you guys remember what happened to you?"

Rise shook her head. "Nope."

"I'm sorry," Yukiko said. "I know I was called out to the garden, but everything after that's a blur."

Kanji couldn't remember much beyond the first knock at the door. After that, it was all his Shadow and that stupid bathhouse. "I got nothing."

"Which makes sense," Naoto said. "Such a bizarre experience, with mental and physical fatigue on top of it... it's only natural to be confused."

"_You _weren't," Rise pointed out, with a mild pout.

"Because I was prepared. Going by the surrounding evidence for your disappearances, they and my own were near identical."

"So y'think the same guy's responsible for all of them?" Made sense, even though Kanji still couldn't figure out how one guy had done it all alone.

Leaning further forward in her chair, Naoto gave a quick nod. "Exactly."

"Which means Mitsuo Kubo wasn't the real killer at all." Souji's hands were both on the table, his fingers twined together. "The police got it wrong."

"Indeed. I believe Kubo's only victim was Mr. Morooka. Simply a copycat killing that mimicked the true culprit's method, or what Kubo knew of it."

Yosuke ran a hand through his hair, then let out a deep sigh. "No wonder King Moron's death broke the pattern in so many ways."

"The question remains, though," added Naoto, "as to how Kubo learned of the television world."

Again, Chie jolted into life; almost out of her chair, too. "Wait, that's it! That's what was bothering me!" She glanced quickly between Naoto and Souji. "Mitsuo, he could enter the TV, right? So why didn't he kill King Moron that way?"

Naoto shrugged. "I believe that even though he could enter the other world, he simply didn't understand it as well as the true culprit. The autopsies for the first two corpses left no clues at all to the cause of death, much less any connection to the television."

"So Kubo didn't know that jumpin' in would get him killed?" Kanji asked, pointedly not mentioning that Naoto sure as hell had.

"Possibly. I believe we also now have an explanation for the bizarre condition of the corpses. The police had assumed the culprit was making a statement in hanging his victims on foggy days - but it may simply be because the victims died on the other side."

"I'd wondered how the killer managed to get the bodies up there without being seen." Souji leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping his chin. "This sounds much simpler."

Naoto nodded. "Occam's Razor. But all this is speculation."

"Yeah, but Kubo could probably tell us. At least, what he knows about the television." Chin propped on one hand, Yosuke grinned again. "Any chance you can get us a police interview?"

Her gaze dropped to her lap. "...Unfortunately, I've been taken off the investigation."

Figured. Back when she'd disappeared, none of the cops the team had spoken with had said anything good about her; most of them hadn't even managed indifference. Kanji still hadn't told Naoto what they'd said and he probably never would - but there was no way she wouldn't have already noticed, right?

Rise sighed, twirling a stray curl of hair around her fingers. "The police wouldn't believe us anyway, not when they still don't want to admit it wasn't Mitsuo. Once you've said something on TV, it's not easy admitting you were wrong."

"I believe the primary cause of my dismissal was because I raised that possiblity to them. The police won't readily concede that they made false charges, particularly if the accused is a juvenile. The overwhelming sentiment within the police force is to end this case with his arrest."

"I remember that policeman saying the same thing," Yukiko said, then turned to Chie. "Back in the shopping district, Chie, you remember."

"Yeah... but would they seriously do that? If it's possible there's another killer?"

Naoto nodded again, this time more grimly. "Obtaining a rapid conviction is paramount."

"Those dickheads... I had a feeling that'd be the case," Kanji hissed. Cops were all the same; always wanted the easy road out. "Not that I trusted 'em in the first place."

As he spoke, Naoto's expression shifted to something Kanji couldn't place. Uncertain, maybe, or at least uncomfortable.

"But, uh, Naoto..." Yosuke had jumped back in, though the grin had vanished. "If you were that calm when it happened to you, couldn't you have, you know...?"

Naoto stared at him blankly. The rest of the team followed suit.

"I'm not saying you should've caught the guy... but isn't it kinda sad for an ace detective to go down that easily...?"

She shifted in her seat, tried to begin a sentence - she did a lot of that, Kanji had noticed - then stopped again, gaze planted back on the table surface. Even standing a meter away, he still saw her draw a deep breath. "To... to tell you the truth, I was really scared." She hesitated. "I-I'm sorry."

It was kind of fitting, Kanji would reflect later down the road, that the first time he ever heard Naoto Shirogane apologize was for not brawling with a serial killer.

The rational part of his mind pointed out that Yosuke never got kidnapped, so he couldn't be totally blamed for being an asshole - and hey, he'd actually made Naoto apologize for something. Meanwhile, the Take-Mikazuchi part insisted that Hanamura needed his stupid face punched _right this instant._

All the other parts just felt terrible. Shit, of course she'd been scared. Who wouldn't have?

But she'd gotten herself in that situation. She'd been _trying_ to get kidnapped. Which, in the end, was as brave a decision as it was stupid. Kanji grit his teeth and looked away, ignoring the loud yelp as Chie elbowed Yosuke in the ribs.

"It can't be helped. None of us could resist the culprit either." Yukiko leaned over and laid a hand on Naoto's shoulder - sparking a second flinch - then shot Yosuke a pointed glance. "Don't forget, Naoto-kun's younger than us, and she's a girl."

Kanji swore he saw Naoto wince.

Yosuke paused, eyebrows raised. "Huh, good point. I keep forgetting when I see her talking like this." He tipped his head and smirked. "Hey, Naoto?"

Naoto lifted her head. "...What is it?"

"You got balls, for a girl."

_Damn right she does_, Kanji almost added - until he noticed Souji's knuckles move back to his forehead and Naoto's cheeks turn slightly pink.

Her fingers gripped the brim of her cap. "R-regardless, I have no doubt that the culprit will continue with his attacks. We can only watch and wait for him to make the next move." The blush faded as she spoke, and her voice turned firm. "But this is no longer a mere assignment for me. I want to know the truth of why we were targeted."

Then she pulled her cap up and looked at each of the group in turn - including Kanji, and he liked to think she looked a little longer - before stopping on Souji-senpai. "Please," she asked, "allow me to join your effort."

Souji didn't answer.

Kanji blinked.

Shit, Senpai wouldn't say no, would he? He never had before. Naoto had proven Kubo wasn't the killer and put herself in harm's way to do it, no matter how stupid the choice had been. Sure, she'd been a pain in the ass - hell, still was - but Kanji had chased his four senpai through the shopping district and been given a second chance. There was no way Souji wouldn't do the same for Naoto.

But he still hadn't answered, and now everyone else at the table was staring at him too - except for Naoto, who kept her gaze fixed on the empty space between him and Chie. Seeing her shoulders stiffen and her expression turn blank, Kanji was hit with the urge to say something, do something; even yell Souji down, if he had to. Instead he watched her lean forward slightly, hands gripping the edge of the table, and look Souji in the eye.

"It... was very rude of me, to, to put pressure on you every time we met, and for that I ask for your forgiveness." Her pitch wavered, like her voice was pulled too tight. "If you allow me to cooperate with you all, I--I vow not to be a burden."

"You ain't gonna be," Kanji snapped, eyes back on Souji.

Rise hopped forward beside him. "C'mon, Senpai, let her join! She's a good detective!"

"Uh... partner..." Yosuke began, sounding higher-pitched and unsettled - though maybe Chie had just elbowed him again.

"Senpai, you gotta--" Fists unclenched, Kanji forced his hands to his sides and tried again. "You're gonna let her help us, right?"

"You _have _to!" Rise insisted. "I wanna see what's going on between her and Kanji-kun."

Kanji glanced wildly from Souji - who'd raised an eyebrow - to Rise - who was smirking - to Naoto - who just looked lost.

"Th-there's nothin'!" he choked out. "There ain't nothing goin' on!"

Shit, double negative. Had to start listening in Composition, Kanji reminded himself, as he tried to fight off the heat rushing to his face. Had to have some serious words with Rise, too.

Souji sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "What I was going to ask is whether Naoto would be staying in Inaba, since she's technically off the case."

"Oh. Yes. I will," Naoto managed, still a little unsteadily.

"Senpai, I totally didn't-- I mean, I didn't think you wouldn't let Naoto-kun join, no way!" Rise's voice was nearly a squeal. "It was all Kanji-kun!"

"What? You were fussing too!"

"Be nice if someone _listened _for once," he heard Souji mutter. When Kanji looked up, he'd started kneading his temples.

"So you're staying at Yasogami High, Naoto-kun?" Yukiko asked.

Naoto gave a firm nod. "My grampa has requested that I continue to attend classes," she explained. "It has been several years since I was in formal education."

"Lucky." Chie let out a quiet sigh, tapping two fingers against her soda can. "No exams, no need to study."

Yosuke snorted. "Like you ever do."

"Oh, that's rich! Who failed two of his classes last semester, huh?"

"Yeah, and you flunked three!"

Though Kanji had never heard him raise his voice, Souji had a knack for shutting arguments down. He'd had practice; things could get fraught on long runs through the TV world. Unfortunately, his skill didn't cover the kind of casual bickering Chie and Yosuke kept up as daily conversation.

(Rise had this theory she'd shared once. Something about the two of them fighting being like little boys picking up insects and throwing them at little girls. Kanji, who still couldn't imagine why anyone would want to start throwing bugs around, hadn't really understood.)

Souji shot them a quick glare. "Give it a break, you two," he warned - then stood up and leaned across the table to shake Naoto's hand. "Good to have you aboard, Naoto-kun."

At that, Naoto actually _smiled_.

Wasn't much of a smile, granted. Like she was trying not to but it just broke through. She choked it back a moment later - but she couldn't hide the change in her voice. "Thank you very much. I'll do my best."

Naoto-the-girl was still a new concept, but Kanji figured he was dealing pretty well. He'd even quit blaming himself for being fooled, instead switching to blaming Naoto instead. Wasn't like anybody else had figured out she wasn't a guy, right?

Listening to her now, Kanji couldn't understand how he'd ever missed it.

Teddie hadn't said much so far, but now he stepped forward and nudged a paw against Naoto's hat. Hand instantly back on the brim, she swung round to meet him. "Excuse me? Do you need something?"

"No. I _have_ something." He beamed, round chest puffed out even more than usual. "Since I'm the King of the Geniuses, I knew it would work out this way!"

As usual, Yosuke's quarrel with Chie had quickly run out of steam. "Like the rest of us didn't," he muttered, and rolled his eyes.

"Ta-da! Nao-chan's glasses!" Teddie twirled the glasses in one paw, though Kanji couldn't tell where he'd pulled them from and wasn't sure he wanted to know. "Yosuke's just jealous because they're nicer than his." He leaned closer to Naoto, voice a stage-whisper. "I wasn't very good at making them back then. They came out really stupid-looking."

Fingering his shirt pocket, Yosuke shot Teddie a glare. "Shut up, my glasses look great."

Naoto had leaned back from Teddie as far as he'd leaned towards her, but she still took the glasses. "Ah... thank you."

"What's wrong, Nao-chan?" His brows angled with worry. "Don't you like them?"

"No, they're fine. I, I'm very grateful." Pulling herself upright in her seat, Naoto then turned to face him. "The others told me about you, Teddie. I can sympathize with your drive to find yourself. If I may help in any way, let me know."

Teddie grinned again. "Wow, what a nice girl! You should give lessons to Yosuke."

Kanji blinked. "...In being a nice girl?"

"Just the nice part," Teddie chirped. "You too, Kanji. If you learn well and you're bear-y good, I _might _even let you pet my fur."

Once. He'd asked that _once_ - and it wasn't like anyone would blame him, right? Cats were furry too, and people liked to pet them. Nothing wrong with that. Hell, the fox was always cool with it.

But sometimes, even when you were totally, one-hundred-percent right, denial was the only way to go. "Shut up, idiot!"

"Don't deny your desperation!" Teddie shook his head, wagging a paw in place of a finger. "You did ask, remember?"

Rise sighed, arms folded. "Wow, Kanji-kun, that's really creepy."

"...I think we're done." Souji placed both palms on the table and pushed himself upright. "I promised to hang out with Nanako this evening." He looked at each of the team in turn. "Remember, our culprit's still out there. Stay alert, okay? Don't do anything reckless."

Senpai looked beat. Had done since they pulled Naoto out. Maybe because he had to juggle school and the case, maybe because they were back where they started, maybe because he was just tired of being the boss; Kanji wasn't close enough to him to know. He'd definitely been acting off today.

Gradually, everyone filtered away toward the food court gate. Chie was chatting with Yukiko, Yosuke was batting at Teddie as the bear tried to grab his arm, and Rise was making a move for Senpai - until he beckoned to Naoto and took her aside.

Probably talking about the case, Kanji told himself.

It came and went in a flash, so quick he might've missed it for blinking - but as she watched them step closer together, Rise looked severely rattled.

When she turned to him a moment later, the smile was back. "So, Kanji-kun, what now?"

His mind preoccupied - mostly with trying to learn to lip-read on the spot - Kanji didn't follow. "Uh?"

"Naoto's gonna be around _all the time_." If she'd been taller, Rise might've blocked his view of Souji-senpai standing way too close to Naoto. Instead, she hopped on the spot twice before resorting to poking him in the ribs. "Are you gonna fess up?"

Kanji paused.

No. He wasn't.

The crush hadn't gone away. Spending more time around Naoto might cure it, but Kanji doubted that. If your mind had been spinning on the same person for months and they could still knock the breath out of you with one look - and if you already _knew_ they could be an asshole sometimes yet found a dozen stupid ways to push that aside - seeing them more often wouldn't fix it. Total opposite.

But whatever he had going on, whatever he felt or thought, he didn't have a name for it - and without that, there was nothing to tell. And Naoto had caused him too many problems he still hadn't figured out, most of which had nothing to do with her being a guy or a girl. Kanji had spent hours since her rescue turning that part over in his head and reached two conclusions: that he didn't want to think about it, and that it might not even matter.

He wasn't sure what did. The fact that she'd lied and the way she'd treated him, they both hurt, but what else was tangled up in there?  
_  
Who the hell knows_, Kanji thought bitterly. This wasn't stuff he was capable of handling.

"I can't," he said quietly, watching Souji finally move away from Naoto and toward the gate. "Don't you say anything either, yeah?"

"C'mon, like I ever would." Rise shook her head. "This one's down to you, Kanji-kun. You know that."

Kanji nodded absently. Naoto still hadn't left; instead, she was leaning against the low wall that surrounded the food court.

"You're not even gonna ask her, are you?"

He frowned. "Ask what?"

Rise let out a low, frustrated sigh - then turned toward Naoto and waved. "Hey, Naoto-kun, wait up!" she called, before bounding over to the wall and shoving Kanji forward on her way.

Naoto gave a brief, stiff nod. "Rise-san. Kanji-kun."

"You were kinda down at school," Rise said, mouth curved in her usual, easy smile. "Something up?"

"No," Naoto quickly answered, looking away. "I'm glad to join your group."

"Us too," Kanji blurted out - glad he'd at least remembered the 'us'.

"It's tough being away for a while, huh?" Rise said lightly, not making it sound like a question. "Things always change when you get back."

Naoto stared at her. "I--well, yes. They do."

"Hey, wanna walk with us? You catch the bus home down by the gas station, right?"

"Um... I have to--"

Around Rise, hesitation was fatal. Her arm quickly latched onto Naoto's, locking them together. "Great! Kanji-kun's lousy company, never talks."

Soon as Rise grabbed her, Naoto's expression leapt from uncomfortable to flustered. "I-I doubt that I'll be--"

Rise stopped just before the gate; Kanji doubted it had much to do with Naoto's flailing. "Ooh, I gotta go use the restroom." She grinned at Naoto. "Want to come with?"

Naoto, who'd been trying to tug her arm back, instantly froze. "Why would I--"

"Girls _do_ that," Rise pointed out, face deadly serious - then winked. "I'm kidding, Naoto-kun."

"I-I don't see why it would be neces--"

Rise clapped her hands together, releasing Naoto's arm in the process. "Never mind, new plan! You wait here with Kanji-kun. Don't leave without me, okay?"

Great. Another setup. Kanji began a response that was really just kind of a growl - but Rise was already at the entrance to the store, and still running. With a quick wave, she disappeared inside.

Naoto opened her mouth, closed it - then turned to Kanji, looking slightly helpless.

"She's like that all the time," he offered.

Jaw set tight, Naoto shook her head. "I couldn't even finish a sentence."

"Yeah." He hesitated, biting his lip. Naoto, meanwhile, just kept staring at the door.

An uncomfortable silence fell.

Dammit, he could do this. Conversations weren't _that _hard. Just come up with something nice, right?

Kanji swallowed. "Hey... you, uh, you remembered a lot about getting kidnapped. Gotta give you some kudos for that. You explained stuff really good. "

"Really well." Naoto still wasn't looking at him. "Not 'really good'. And I'm a detective. I was prepared."

Maybe he should screw up his grammar more often; it filled the awkward gaps in conversation. Kanji shook his head. "But you were scared, you said so."

For a moment, Naoto looked like she was about to object - and fiercely - but then she stopped, and let out a deep breath. "Yes. I did, and, and I was. A moment of weakness - but there's no point in denying it."

"You got guts, man," Kanji said - then added, just in case she'd forgotten, "but it was still a dumb thing to do, 'course."

"Everyone has made that _quite _clear," she muttered, tugging at her cap.

"Senpai, he's… y'know, he'd never have banned you from joining." Kanji didn't mention that he'd have kicked Souji's ass if he had, leader or not.

"I know. He informed me of his conditions this morning. Once I agreed to abide by them, he said my assistance would be welcomed."

"Oh. Right." He winced. Dammit, he'd totally jumped the gun. "Sorry. You just--you, you looked worried, y'know?"

Naoto hesitated. One hand moved to grab her opposite shoulder. "My concern was that perhaps someone on the team had... objected to my presence." She turned her head, eyes finally meeting his. "That Seta-san might have changed his mind accordingly."

"No way! Who'd--there ain't anyone who'd do that, Naoto, that'd be nuts."

"Ah." Her gaze shifted again, settling on a point somewhere near his left elbow. "Well, they wouldn't be at fault."

"Yeah they would," Kanji insisted, with as much force as he could manage without thumping his fist on something. "And, and don't listen to Rise, okay? Gets all these weird ideas." Wasn't like Naoto would've taken it seriously anyway, right? Not from dumb Kanji-kun. Kid hadn't even looked embarrassed.

Naoto nodded. "I expect so." Then she straightened, hands clasped behind her back, and looked up at him. "Well, Kanji-kun, I'm looking forward to working with you."

"Uh…" _Say something, Tatsumi!_ "Uh…yeah. Me too. T-to working with you, I mean. Not with me. So, yeah!"

"Good." A small, almost-smile playing over her lips, Naoto held out her hand. Kanji grabbed it - a little harder than he intended, and he swore she winced, but he managed a firm handshake. Decently manly, without yanking her off the ground. She looked a little impressed, maybe; he liked to think so.

He gestured towards the nearest table. "Rise. She's gonna be a while. You, uh, you wanna sit down again?"

Naoto paused - then looked up at him, and nodded a second time. "Certainly."

**

* * *

**

Rise really had taken forever. Kanji couldn't understand what the hell girls did in bathrooms that took so long, besides the obvious, or why they'd want to hang out in places that never looked clean. Hungry and bored, he'd gone inside the store and picked up some animal crackers. To his surprise - and in a way that was kind of awkward but kind of nice - Naoto had followed.

When Rise finally had showed, the three of them had walked the short distance back to the district. Kanji had considered offering to walk Naoto to the bus-stop, but figured she might take it the wrong way (though he had made sure to watch her go, until she'd moved too far away for him to see.)

When he walked through the door of the textiles shop, Ma was already closing up. "My, Kanji-chan, you look cheerful."

Quickly forcing a scowl, Kanji dumped his Junes bag on the counter and grabbed the broom. "I ain't!"

"Of course not," Ma agreed. "You were out late again, dear. Were you spending time with friends?"

"Not your business," he muttered. The broom smacked into the counter on the next sweep. "Just had stuff to do."

"Oh, sorry, dear. I just saw you walking up here with Kujikawa-chan and that nice detective boy." She hummed thoughtfully, while Kanji made a mental note to explain to her that 'nice detective boy' only covered two out of three. "You know, after I saw him on that television show, I remembered I'd met him before. He dropped by back in May asking to see you. Twice."

"Twice?" Yukiko-senpai had said Naoto had helped find him. Made sense she would've come by once after he disappeared, since they'd already hung out together and she'd been working on the case. But why the second time?

"The first time, he left very quickly," Ma continued. "Amagi-chan showed up with some friends... I think that boy from Junes was with them. I'm surprised her mother hasn't complained about that friendship," she added, eyebrows raised.

Kanji shrugged. "Ain't Hanamura's fault his dad runs the place."

"No, of course not. Quite a pleasant young man, really." Ma waved a hand toward the bag on the counter. "And if it hadn't been Junes, another store would have moved in. Times change."

Ma had never had a big problem with Junes. Said it was convenient, especially for feeding a son who could eat his own weight each day. She didn't like the clothes, but Kanji didn't see how anybody ever could.

Unfortunately, most of Inaba did. The textiles shop still did a good trade, but...

He paused mid-sweep. "Do... d'you think our shop'll still be here ten years from now?"

"Oh, I'm almost certain," she said lightly, then smiled. "If nothing else, the inn will still be in business and Amagi-san... well, she isn't terribly fond of Junes. They don't really cater to tradition. Her daughter will be your best customer, Kanji-chan."

"Right. S'good." Kanji stared at the floor. Damn footprints. "Uh, so... what about the second time? That, that Naoto showed up. The detective kid."

"Hmm? Oh, yes, he came back the following day." Ma gave him one of her _looks_, the ones that always made Kanji feel like he'd screwed up. "I remember you hadn't come home the night before. I told him this had happened in the past, but he still seemed quite concerned."

Kanji's stomach flipped. Must've eaten too many crackers on the way home. He'd been trying to explain the penguin thing to Naoto, but Rise had kept interrupting.

"He never did explain why he wanted to see you, though," Ma said, brow furrowed. "You weren't in trouble again, were you?"

"No way! Ma, I told you, the cops just got it in for me. Not Naoto, those other guys," he quickly added.

"I know, dear. Brawling with biker gangs does tend to cause some upset." She nodded toward the broom. "Be careful not to wear holes in the floor, Kanji-chan. You've swept that spot five times now."

Kanji grunted. "Just makin' sure," he mumbled.


	17. Chapter 14

_A/N: Story so far: Naoto finally joined the team, which proved a mixed blessing for Kanji.  
_

_In this part: Souji's a show-off, Naoto's one disappointed Persona-user, and Rise breaks Kanji's brain. Spoilers through October.  
_

_(Delayed again - don't catch the flu, it wreaks havoc with writing)  
_

* * *

**October 7****th**** 2011**

Man, this was a disappointment.

No fancy tests, no gizmos - just a bunch of questions and frowns from a harried, grey-haired doctor who didn't seem to understand why a teenage punk was sprawled on a chair in his examining room. Couldn't really blame him, since Kanji didn't get it either. If jumping in the television was hurting them, they'd have noticed by now, right? They'd have each grown that extra head or tail or whatever terrible thing Naoto thought calling a Persona could cause.

He hadn't known her all that long, but Kanji had already decided that Naoto thought way too much. Which left him stuck hanging around in a corridor in his least favorite place in Inaba. Fine, so this was just the day-clinic rather than the main hospital building - but the bathhouse still might've more comfortable. If Naoto and Teddie didn't show in the next five minutes, he'd ask Souji if he could clear out.

Might piss Naoto off, though. She'd bothered to organize these dumb examinations. Trying to decide what to do, Kanji glanced down the corridor toward the exit, where Rise was chatting with Souji-senpai (probably the only reason she wasn't bugging him instead) and Chie and Yukiko were whispering and giggling together nearby - or more precisely, giggling while looking at Yosuke, who was leaning against the wall opposite Kanji.

When Kanji glanced over and caught his eye, he shrugged. "Yeah, I know," he muttered. His mouth curled into a smirk. "Guess I'm irresistible, right?"

"Asking the wrong guy." Kanji shot back with a scowl. "Don't start this crap again." All this stuff with Naoto had sent his tolerance for snide comments into a nosedive. Hell, he'd thrown Yosuke against a wall last week over some throwaway remark that, back in September, he probably could've swallowed.

All he needed to do was get over her. Trouble was, he'd been trying to do that for six months. Five of which she'd been a guy.

"Fine, fine." Yosuke raised his hands defensively. "So, is it me, or were those examinations a total waste of time?"

Kanji shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe. Seemed like a regular check-up. I was kinda looking forward to getting into some gigantic machine and being spun around." He'd seen that in old sci-fi movies. Stick the spaceman inside some high-tech-whatever to figure out if the aliens had gotten him. Probably why Naoto and Teddie still weren't back. She must've made the doctors pull out the big guns.

Yosuke shook his head. "Had this stuck in my head all day, too. I'm lucky I didn't drop dead of stress by lunch. And if I had, Naoto would've been one-hundred percent responsible."

Kanji blinked. "What, you were worried?"

"Hey, you weren't there! It-it was the way she said it! Like we were--ugh, I should've known better. The only 'side effect' is getting our asses kicked by Shadows."

"Your ass, y'mean," replied Kanji with a quick grin. "_You're_ the bleeder."

"Dude, that's--" The rest broke off into a annoyed sigh. Yosuke folded his arms, one heel tapping against the wall behind him. "Ah, you know what, you're right. Guess somebody has take them for the team. Maybe Naoto-kun'll split the work with me."

Kanji had spent most of the previous night imagining what it'd be like fighting alongside Naoto. Most of it had revolved around how to look good in front of her (or at least not stupid) and avoid falling flat on his face. The second tied into the first and happened way more than he liked, because once you started swinging a desk round your head, the desk soon started swinging you. Same went for big sheets of metal. Momentum, Souji called it, though Kanji preferred 'being a klutz' as the more honest term.

What he hadn't considered was the idea that she might get hurt. Or rather, definitely would. They all did sometimes - and then Yukiko or Teddie or Souji healed them up and it was all fine. No worries.

"Maybe she ain't a fighter," he said, trying to ignore the cold, heavy feeling in his stomach.

"We'll find out soon, I guess. Souji said we'll go in this weekend, show her the ropes." Yosuke glanced back down the corridor toward the examination rooms. "Oh, hey, there's her and Ted."

Naoto and Teddie were heading toward them - and while Teddie wore a smile that grew even brighter when he saw the rest of the team, Naoto was looking away, head held a little lower than usual.

Rise was the first to speak. Or yell. "About time, Naoto-kun!" Kanji didn't point out that she'd been so busy making moon-eyes at Souji she wouldn't have noticed if she'd been standing there till midnight.

"We're bear-y sorry for the wait," Teddie said earnestly. Naoto just gave a distracted nod.

"So, did they find out anything about Teddie?" Yukiko asked.

Naoto gave another nod. This one was even less enthusiastic. "They did. They found out that they can't tell anything about him. I even had them take multiple X-rays, but each time the image was too blurry to read." She glanced sideways at Teddie, who was playing with the frilled collar of his shirt.

Souji frowned. "Weird. Was it the machine?"

"I doubt it. A standard examination indicated he seems perfectly normal. They suggested we try another hospital if we're still concerned," she added, in a terse but apologetic tone. "I feel bad for making them go through all this."

Teddie threw a hand to his forehead, leaving the other still at his collar. "And after they took a look at everything inside me!"

"She just said they couldn't see anything on the X-Ray, you dork!" Chie rolled her eyes; Kanji wondered whether she'd learned it from Yosuke. "After all that, we still know as much about you as we do our Personas and the Shadows."

"Oh yeah, I looked them up on the net," Yosuke said. "Persona means something like, another personality. And I think "Shadow" was listed under the related terms."

"Naturally," Naoto answered listlessly. "'Persona' and 'Shadow' are common psychological terms."

The way she said it left Kanji feeling a little stupid, and he hadn't been the one who brought the topic up. Yosuke took it worse. "I tried, okay? There's not exactly a lot out there."

"I'm pretty sure we won't find anything on a mainstream site," Souji cut in. "Not about the type of Personas and Shadows we're familiar with. Teddie, any ideas?"

Teddie shrugged. "Shadows are Shadows. They come out of people, I think."

"But that's just the ones that look like us," Rise said, twirling a loose strand of hair round her fingers. "When I scanned those, they felt--human, I guess. The others don't."

"Um, I can't really explain..."

Naoto glanced over her shoulder. They hadn't been speaking loudly, but she still lowered her voice. "I conducted my own research after the incident. An unofficial project document that I happened to come across stated that a Shadow is suppressed power--"

"Happened to come across?" Souji interrupted.

"--and when controlled by one's ego, it becomes a Persona." She glanced at him then quickly looked away. "And yes, I came across it."

Souji didn't look satisfied. Kanji, who understood that sometimes the needs justified the means - that sometimes, you just had to wade in and smack some bikers around - quickly jumped in. "But don't that mean they're basically the same thing?"

Naoto nodded. "Potentially."

"Huh. Sounds weird. Then again, the Shadows we beat the shit out of did turn into Personas."

"Like Rise-chan said, only the ones that looked like us," Yukiko pointed out. "What about the regular Shadows?"

Good point. They'd have more Personas running around inside the TV than they could count. Maybe that was where Souji's came from?

Kanji shook his head. "Ahh, who cares about the details! Doesn't matter what they are. If they get in our way, I'll crush 'em," he added, punching his fist against his other palm as demonstration.

When he dared to glance at Naoto, she was smiling. Kind of. Half-smiling, maybe. Looking closely, it might've been exasperation - but Kanji decided to roll with his first, happier theory. "Nonetheless," she said, "I couldn't find any information on how they're related to the other world."

Rise sighed. "Guys, we've been doing this for months - and there's still so much stuff about us that we don't have a clue about."

The mood sank.

"However!" Teddie said, beaming and jabbing a finger upward for emphasis. "There are some things we _do_ know about each other, thanks to me. I got a bunch of awesome data."

Everyone stared at him, all equally confused. With Teddie, this wasn't unusual.

"Data?" Naoto repeated blankly. "But I didn't--"

"See, it's kinda embarrassing that I'm the only one who had personal details shown to the world, so..." He dipped his hand inside his collar, and pulled out a bundle of papers with a flourish. Papers that looked a lot like the forms the doctor had scribbled on when he hadn't been frowning at Kanji. "Tadaaa! Nowadays, information wants to be free!"

Souji's eyes widened. "Wait, are those--"

Teddie gave a wide, triumphant grin. "Therefore, I'll break the ice by announcing the results of everyone's physical exams!"

"What? No you won't! Give 'em to me, now!" Chie made a desperate grab for his waist, in what would've been an amazing tackle if he hadn't darted sideways behind a bewildered Naoto. Instead, she landed in a diagonal sprawl on the corridor floor.

Naoto swiveled round. "Wh-when did you take those? Those are confiden--"

"Ooh, first place in the 'shortest legs division' is..." Now hiding behind Rise, Teddie blinked at the paper and raised his eyebrows. "Huh, who woulda guessed?

Kanji could imagine only a few things in life ever being worth genuine panic, and leg length wasn't one of them. Yosuke, whose eyes were as wide as plates, apparently disagreed. "Wait, it…it's not me, is it?!"

And people said _he _had a complex.

...Okay, maybe he did - but at least it was about something important.

"Why would they examine that?" Souji asked, frowning. "Teddie, are you making this--"

"Stop talking and grab him!" Chie demanded, now back on her feet.

Yosuke ignored her, instead pointing at the papers in Teddie's hand. "Look, if you're gonna blab it all, you might as well tell us the girls' measurements!"

_Dude. _

Ma handled all the fitting sessions at the shop. She'd had Kanji help her with a few of the guys, to show him the ropes for when he took over - but never, ever the women. The closest he'd come was tailoring the occasional dress. Taking stuff in, letting it out, whatever. Hadn't even known the customers' names. And that was just fine, because bumping into at a girl in the street and knowing her exact measurements would be the most awkward thing ever.

Except if that girl was one of the three he saw every day. That would definitely be more awkward. It verged on horrifying.

He glanced sideways at Souji, who gave a helpless shrug.

"What?" Midway through another lunge for Teddie, Chie stopped short and pivoted toward Yosuke instead. "Are you a complete and utter moron!?"

Naoto coughed loudly. "N-none of this is approp--"

"It's human curiosity!" Palms raised, Yosuke stepped back and turned to Souji. "C'mon, partner, back me up here. Don't pretend you don't want to know!"

"I want nothing to do with this," Souji said quickly.

"I do," Teddie chimed in.

"Fine, be a coward! Kanji, you're a real man, right?"

Kanji's mouth bypassed his brain completely. "'Course I am!" he snapped - then, faced with Chie's murderous glare, hastily backtracked. "But I, I don't--I ain't interested in--"

Not for the first time, Rise came to his rescue. Completely accidentally, as usual, but Kanji wasn't about to argue. "I don't mind," she said, smile focused on Souji. "My profile's been public knowledge for ages." She paused, then made an offhand gesture towards her chest. "Oh, but my bust size is 2cm smaller than they print. My agency insisted."

For a moment, Yosuke just stared at her - then burst into a grin that somehow mixed pride with sheer panic. "See? _Somebody's_ being reasonable!"

As Souji held a fuming Chie back by her wrists, Yukiko - who'd been staring blankly at Teddie for the past minute - jolted back into motion. "No! D-don't say mine!"

"Aw, I bet guys won't care what size you are, Yukiko-senpai!" Rise nodded knowingly. "And having modestly-sized breasts like yours would definitely make it easier to wear a kimono."

Yukiko looked like she wanted to answer, but only managed to turn pink and make choking sounds. Kanji was wondering whether he should grab her wrists too, when Rise snatched the papers from Teddie's hand and began flicking through them. "Oh yeah, Naoto-kun's is in here too!"

Wait.

Kanji's brain - which had been busy trying not to think about anyone's bust size, female or otherwise - instantly slammed to a halt.

Naoto froze. "Wh--"

"Umm, let's see... Naoto-kun's is..." Rise frowned at the paper for an eternity - blinked twice - then snapped her head up with a wide-eyed stare. "Wait, is this... is this for real? Isn't this measured wrong?"

Somewhere in the distance, Naoto made a strangled noise.

Measured wrong.

Measured too-big wrong? Maybe Rise thought Naoto was --no, no, she wouldn't, there was nothing there usually. Nobody would've ever thought Naoto was a guy if she'd been walking around with--

_Stop thinking __**right now**_, Kanji ordered himself. He resolved to keep an eye on Naoto instead, who looked like she couldn't decide whether to kick Rise in the head or pass out.

…Naoto, whose measurements weren't too-big wrong. Which left too-small. Which meant the numbers were bigger than Rise'd expected. Which meant--

He quickly jerked back his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. Staring at the ceiling and half-hoping it'd fall in, he didn't see exactly what Naoto did to Rise. He just heard the shriek.

When he felt safe lowering his head again, Naoto was standing two feet back from everyone else, breathing hard, with her hands clenched tight around the papers. The knuckles on both were white.

She took one step back, then another. "Th-the important thing is that according to the examination results, nothing's wrong with our health! So we won't be needing these anymore!" Three meters away, Kanji swore he could _see_ her swallow hard. "I-I'm going to go shred them."

With that, the entire team watched her sprint down the corridor, papers still clasped tight in her hand.

Nobody spoke.

"Well, thank goodness everyone's healthy!" Yosuke finally said, smiling with all the conviction of a store mannequin and already edging towards the exit.

"You're right!" Chie had escaped Souji at some point and latched onto Yukiko instead. "Let's go home! C'mon, Yukiko."

As Chie dragged her toward the exit, Yukiko shot an icy glare at Rise. "_M__odestly-sized_," she hissed.

Souji, meanwhile, grabbed hold of Teddie's collar, muttered something about a Very Important Talk, and pulled him down a side corridor.

Rise sighed quietly, then looked up at Kanji. "Girls are so weird sometimes," she said with a shrug. "Let's head out, Kanji-kun. I wanna catch up with Senpai once he's finished yelling at Teddie."

"I gotta… we, uh, oughta wait for Naoto, right?" Yeah. That was right. Shouldn't leave her behind. "I-I'm gonna go get her."

Rise rolled her eyes. "She'll have shredded them already, y'know."

"That ain't why I'm going!"

"Suuuure it isn't. Well, I'll see you later, Senpai's waiting!"

Kanji watched her skip off in the same direction as Souji had dragged Teddie, then turned back toward the examination rooms. He definitely couldn't leave Naoto behind.

Her Shadow had been nuts, same as everyone else's. Rationally, Kanji knew feeling bad for any of them was a waste of time. But when Naoto's had started crying about being alone, just stood there sobbing into its lab-coat, something had gotten scrunched up inside him - and weeks later, he still hadn't untangled it.

So Naoto wasn't exactly who he'd thought. She was a lot of things, some of which he just admired, others that he wanted to be - but not everything he'd made her into. Not unflappable, not perfect, not untouchable.

Maybe that was just fine.

As he jogged down the corridor after her, it occurred to Kanji that 'not a guy' hadn't made the list. Busy wondering what that meant, if anything, he didn't notice a door opening on his left - until he almost slammed into Naoto as she stormed through it. She yelped and whipped around, wide-eyed.

The papers weren't in her hand.

Caught between relief and disappointment - not that he actually wanted to know, _no way_ - Kanji settled for blankness. "Uh," he managed.

"What?" Naoto shot back, cheeks still flushed.

"You, uh, shredded 'em, right?"

"Yes." Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Why?"

"Just askin'! Didn't want to see them!"

"Good. Because _nobody ever will_."

"Rise did," Kanji blurted.

Naoto opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again for good measure. Kanji couldn't make out exactly what she mumbled next, but the words 'arrest' and 'mandatory holding period' were definitely in there.

"But she'll never tell anyone," he lied. "Ever."

"The word 'discretion' is not in Rise-san's vocabulary," Naoto muttered darkly.

It was, however, in Kanji's. Impressed with himself - this was Naoto, she probably never met a big word she didn't like - he couldn't help grinning. Who needed dictionaries?

Then he noticed her glaring at him again.

"This isn't amusing in the _slightest_," she snapped. "A perfectly sensible idea, ruined by--" She stopped, tensed her jaw, then ran her hand over her mouth.

Panicked, Kanji scrambled for a change of subject. "So, uh, guess they know you're… you know. The doctors."

Naoto dropped her hand and gave him a suspicious look.

Shit, why'd he pick that topic? He swallowed, watching her face carefully. "...You dressing as a guy. Do, do the cops know?"

"I.... I haven't been back to the station. But without evidence, any rumors would be mere conjecture." Naoto was wearing the same guarded expression he'd seen on his first visit to her apartment. She chewed on her lip for a moment before continuing. "I would prefer they remain so."

"You don't need to worry." Kanji gave a confident nod. "The doctors can't tell anyone. They got the Hypocritic Oath."

"Hippocratic. But you're right." She lifted her head and met his gaze. "We should leave. I believe we've caused the staff here enough trouble."

He nodded. They walked side-by-side down the corridor, Kanji carefully shortening his strides to keep pace.

**

* * *

**

"I saw the _numbers_, Kanji-kun," Rise trilled. "Don't you want to know?"

"No," Kanji lied, wondering if it was becoming a habit.

After she'd finished bothering Souji, Rise had wandered back to join him and Naoto. The three of them had walked as far as the nearest bus-stop in near-silence, mostly because Rise - who usually kept the conversation going single-handed - had been busy stealing glances at Naoto's chest. Kanji, meanwhile, had been trying to do exactly the opposite. He almost felt thankful when Naoto split off from the group. Or would've, if Rise hadn't instantly found her voice again and decided to use it to torment him.

"Yeah you do. You're gonna be lying awake thinking about it _all night_," she insisted, tilting her head and gazing dreamily at the sky. "What does Naoto-kun, the charming not-quite-boy-detective, really look like under--"

Kanji slapped his hands over his ears. "Dammit, stop talking!"

He had his night planned. Go home. Start sewing. Didn't matter what. Smack his head against the wall if he even started to think about Naoto and what her mystery measurements might be. He had a tailor's eye, though, couldn't help that - and though she was slim he'd still noticed that her clothes seemed to curve in at some places and out at others. Like at her hips, which were--

With an act of supreme will, Kanji swallowed the urge to punch himself in the head.

"Aw, c'mon," whined Rise. "Aren't you _curious_?"

Maybe. Maybe not. It was still weird and awkward, but with Naoto going out of her way to hide herself, who would blame him for wondering? But two things kept Kanji from asking more: not wanting to upset her, and being pretty certain she'd try to choke him with her hat if she ever found out. "Shut up. Don't care. None of my business."

"Ooh, you're such a gentleman!" Rise giggled, and clapped her hands together. "Naoto-kun's gonna love that. I'll tell her all about chivalrous Kanji-kun and how he isn't interested at all in her girlish figure."

Kanji scowled. "Y'know, sometimes you scare the shit outta me."

"Hey, it's not _my_ fault Teddie stole the papers. Though I think it cheered him up."

"Bear's a pervert."

Rise waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, like every guy in the room wasn't thinking the same. At least Teddie's honest!"

"_I _wasn't thinkin' that!" Total, complete, one-hundred-percent opposite. At least until Naoto started kicking up a fuss.

"Whatever. I'm just glad he's okay, as far as they can tell," Rise said, then winced. "Though he might not be if Chie-senpai or Naoto-kun get hold of him."

"They better not do anything real bad," Kanji said. "Can't get in and out the TV without him."

Rise nodded. "Plus he's the only one who knows anything about how the TV world works, even if it's not much. We need to learn more about that place if we're gonna find the real killer."

Kanji shrugged. "Asshole might be a Shadow too, for all we know." Was that possible? Could a Shadow even escape the TV?

"Maybe. I dunno, Kanji-kun, I'm trying to follow this stuff but some of it is _way_ over my head." Rise tried to brush away the loose strands of hair blowing around her face, before giving up and pulling her coat around herself against the wind. Moments later, Kanji felt her elbow nudge against his. "So, you sure you don't wanna know?"

"Know wha-- dammit, I already said no!"

"Fine, fine." She sighed dramatically and followed it up by pouting at her feet. "I won't talk about it _ever again_."

Which was fine by him, Kanji thought, as they walked through the park in silence.

Felt kinda cold for October. The rain had eased off but the wind was still nipping at his cheeks, and even with her thick jacket, Rise was shivering slightly next to him. Naoto was probably cold too. Should've given her his coat. Wasn't like she could slap him _that_ hard. Though she could probably have him arres--

"But you can't blame me for being curious," Rise protested, cutting across his thoughts. "Because whatever she uses, _boy_, she hides them well."

Kanji slapped his hands firmly back over his ears, and wished he had something to smack his head against.

**

* * *

**

**October 8****th****, 2011**

"So… I should just climb in?"

Souji nodded. "Easy, right?"

Naoto pressed a hand against the screen, jerking back when her fingers passed through. She turned and gestured around the store. "Here? With all these customers?"

Souji nodded again. "Exactly."

Originally, the plan had been to jump in, head back to Naoto's lab and have a few practice battles - but since Yukiko was busy at the inn and Chie's parents were forcing her to stay home and study, Souji had switched tracks. This afternoon they'd just go inside and let Naoto call her Persona. Rise would take a look, have Himiko scan it, and then they'd hop right back out again. No fighting.

Kanji was more relieved than he should've been.

"It's amazing you haven't been spotted," Naoto mused. She turned to Yosuke. "I assume you analyzed customer traffic before planning your excursions?"

"Er... not exactly." Yosuke managed a sheepish smile. "It's Inaba. Kinda hard to sell huge TVs here."

Frowning, Naoto opened her mouth to respond - then gasped as Souji put one arm and leg through the screen. He smiled at her as he waved the arm in and out of view. "See? Nothing bad happens."

_Showoff_, Kanji thought.

"I didn't think it would," Naoto protested, glancing around the shop floor again. "But, Senpai, there are customers present and--"

"Hey, Senpai, wait up!"

Whether it was something idols got taught or just a natural talent, Rise had an amazing knack for making her presence known to everyone in a fifty-meter radius. Over the top of the shelving racks, Kanji saw each customer turn to stare at her as she jogged toward the television section.

Souji blinked, glanced out over the store, looked back at his arm and leg - then jumped through the screen, just as Rise skidded to a halt beside them.

"Oops. Sorry," she whispered, with an apologetic wince. "But why was Senpai hanging halfway inside the TV?"

"To show off in front of Naoto-kun," Yosuke said cheerfully.

Rise frowned in Naoto's direction. Naoto, in turn, turned slightly pink. "Wh-why would he--"

Not bothering to wait for the rest, Rise shoved straight past Kanji - muttering a string of unrepeatable things about Senpai as she did - and leapt inside the television.

When he glanced up at Naoto, she'd gone back to frowning at the screen. She looked more uncomfortable than ever, and when Yosuke clapped his hand over her shoulder she jolted away.

"Don't sweat it, Naoto," he told her, with a quick wink at Kanji. "You've got a buddy here to help you out."

Before Kanji could splutter out a denial, Yosuke vanished through the screen - leaving only the two of them still standing in Junes.

Moments passed.

"So... you gonna jump in?" he finally asked Naoto, deliberately not looking at her. There was no response.

Whatever. Anyone could stick their arm through the screen and wave it around. Didn't take nothing special, and no way would it impress somebody like Naoto. Unfortunately, Kanji was at a loss for anything he could do that would.

Naoto's voice cut through the quiet background noise of the store. It sounded a lot less steady than usual. "What does your Persona look like?"

"Huh?"

"Your Persona. Appearance, abilities." Her gaze stayed fixed on the television screen. "I've questioned the others previously. What about yours?"

"Well... he's like a big skeleton and--" Wait. Naoto was supposed to be inside summoning her Persona, not hanging around in Junes chatting about his. Teddie had already been in there an hour waiting for them to show. "I'll tell you later, okay? We gotta go through, Senpai's gonna be pissed."

Naoto visibly braced. "Yes. I'm just--" She hesitated, toying with the brim of her cap then folding her arms. "Obviously, I need to--"

As Kanji waited patiently for the rest of the sentence, realization finally hit: Naoto was totally stalling.

Man, why hadn't he figured that out earlier? She was probably scared. Kanji hadn't wanted to make his first leap either. It was different for Souji and Yosuke, they'd never been thrown in - and though Rise had been fine with it from the start, Rise would also jump into the Samegawa if she saw Senpai go first.

So. Naoto was scared. Which meant Kanji had to fix it. _Think, Tatsumi._

Maybe they could go through together. He could hold her hand. That'd work, right? 'Course it would. Besides, at her height she'd probably have to run from halfway across the shop floor to make the jump, which really _would_ attract attention.

With a burst of courage, Kanji held out his hand. "You. Uh."

Naoto stared at it, then at him, then at the television. "Unnecessary," she said, firm and quick, then climbed hastily through the screen.

He blinked. "Wait, Naoto, you gotta jump--"

The warning came too late. Suddenly discovering there was sheer drop the other side instead of solid ground, Naoto yelped and pitched forward. Kanji made a panicked lunge for her legs, tripped, caught his knee on the edge of the screen - and tumbled through after her.

The fall wasn't that far. Two meters at most. Even so, the impact knocked the breath out his lungs - and it took him a few seconds to notice the small lumps thudding against his ribs. They didn't hurt, really, but they were still kinda annoying.

Kanji raised his head to complain, and several things happened at once.

The blows to his side were coming from Naoto - who was trapped under his left arm and leg and beating on him with her fists. The glare she gave him could peel paint. "Get off me!"

Across the room, Yosuke started laughing his ass off. Kanji resolved to punch him at a later date. For now, he just opened and closed his mouth, hoping his brain might force some words in there - then jerked up and back in a movement similar to one he'd make if he'd crash-landed on a dozen Shadows instead. Looking at Naoto's expression, he wished he had.

Fuming, she violently straightened her shirt. Her cheeks were flushed so red she could probably catch fire, which nicely matched the glare she was now directing at the opposite wall. Kanji half-expected it to melt. Her hat was laying near his elbow - must've fallen off in the landing - so he grabbed it from the floor and leaned nervously toward her, one hand holding it out as a tentative peace offering.

Naoto snatched it without looking.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I just--you were gonna--"

"Ooh, I did that too! When we were in Port Island, remember?" Rise bounced over with a beaming Teddie in tow. "We should make it a team thing! Bonding by falling on Naoto-kun."

Now looking like she wanted to glare at everything in the room at once, Naoto ignored Rise's outstretched hand and pulled herself to her feet. She stormed off toward Souji and Yosuke - both of who were trying not to laugh and failing miserably.

"Smooth, Kanji-kun," Rise said, with a smirk that Yosuke would've envied. It figured she wouldn't stay mad at Souji long.

Teddie gave an eager nod. "Oh, it's just like a movie! Simmering tension between the two leads, broken by the breathtakingly intimate contact of a possibly-accidental tumble!"

"P-possibly?" Kanji spluttered.

"Teddie," Rise said patiently, "that didn't work in the summer and it isn't gonna work now."

He pouted. "It would've if Yuki-chan had seen the movie too."

The exchange kept going - something about Teddie needing to stick to sparkles and how Rise-chan shouldn't pull mean faces at Sensei - but Kanji had lost interest in favor of watching Naoto. She was standing next to Souji, looking up at him and listening closely as he spoke. Probably explaining how to call up her card and summon her Persona. No sense in Kanji butting in. Evoking came more or less naturally, so he wouldn't have any new advice to add - and he couldn't imagine Naoto appreciating anything that wasn't useful.

Still, would've been nice to encourage her.

Souji turned toward them. "Ready, Rise?"

"Yep!" Rise clasped her hands together, as Himiko shimmered hazily into view behind her. She took point, leading the group down one of the tiled paths away from the lot and towards the replica shopping district. Naoto and Souji, Kanji noticed, were walking next to each other.

He shook his head. Better pay attention to his surroundings. He'd only been to the district once before and seeing Naoki's folks' place had really freaked him out. Kanji had quickly figured out that the rest of the buildings were just facades - the doors were jammed and there was nothing behind the windows but empty space - but he was still glad the street ended long before reaching the textiles shop.

They stopped outside the liquor store, with both Naoto and Rise standing a few steps away from the rest of the group.

Naoto held out her hand, flexing her fingers, then flipped it so the palm faced up. A blue card flickered into the air, and she studied it closely, the glow casting shadows across her face. Tentatively, she took it between her thumb and finger - then threw it upward, pulled a pistol from her side and shot it clean through.

...Pistol?

The card shattered. Kanji had only a split-second to wonder why Naoto hadn't already riddled him with bullets before her Persona flashed down in its place.

Blurred at first, the figure looked just like it had in the lab: blue and small. Really small. Smaller than its owner - which was impressive, in a weird sort of way.

"Good job!" Souji called.

"Why is it still--" Naoto stopped, gun still held at her side. Her gaze shifted from her Persona, to the group, then back to her Persona again. Its edges had sharpened, into what looked like--Kanji would have to make sure he never, ever said this to Naoto, but it looked like a bug. A bug who'd joined the military and been given a lightsaber. But hey, his was a skeleton; at least Naoto's had a nice uniform (the yellow tie really accented the blue).

"The, the size," she continued. "You all described yours as--" The sentence stayed unfinished as she stared her Persona up and down.

"Naoto-kun," Souji said carefully, "there's nothing wrong with--"

Yosuke shook his head. "Dude, it's smaller than she is."

"Uniform's neat," Kanji pointed out (even the buttons were sharp, and gold was supposed to look gaudy).

"It's so cute!" trilled Rise.

"Shut up," Naoto snapped, then stormed past the liquor store and down the street, a small blue figure obediently hovering after her.

As they watched her leave, Souji folded his arms and turned to Kanji. "You want to talk to her?"

"Me?"

"I can do it, if you like." He paused for a moment, then smiled. "But it'll do her good to get along with other people. Figure I spend enough time running around after everyone."

Kanji wasn't so certain. What if he screwed up? He couldn't even understand why Naoto was pissed over something so dumb. She was little, so was her Persona. It made sense.

Still, Senpai had asked him to do it. _Time to man up_, he decided, letting out a slow sigh.

Naoto was sitting cross-legged on the ground about ten meters down the street, peering intently at her Persona as it hovered in front of her. Kanji kind of wished his looked so smart. A metal skeleton was pretty badass - but man, that blue outfit was sharp.

At that, Take-Mikazuchi started clanging around in his head. Kanji guessed uniforms weren't the big guy's thing.

Swallowing to calm the churn in his stomach, he walked closer to Naoto. "You okay?"

"It's called Sukuna-Hikona. It told me," Naoto said. The Persona buzzed, and she shook her head. "Sorry, not it. Him."

Kanji crouched down beside her - or near her, at least. Near as he dared get. "Hey there," he mumbled. Sukuna-Hikona buzzed back.

Naoto leaned back on her hands, brow creased in thought. "Seta-senpai has informed me that most Personas are based upon mythological beings. I will research this one."

"You don't sound happy."

"He's..." She gestured vaguely towards the Persona, her frown turning glum. "His size. I thought... well, as I understand it, he's--not as large as the others."

Kanji's first thought was to follow that with _so he's just like you,_ until he remembered today's new Naoto-related mini-fact: she carried a pistol and knew how to use it. Then he considered saying the little guy was cute, but that seemed just as risky. More importantly, his first thought already covered it.

Still with no answer and a blush now creeping over his cheeks, he turned his head away. Fortunately, Sukuna-Hikona helped him out by buzzing again - this time at Naoto. He darted back and forth, wings humming.

Kanji frowned. "He don't sound happy either."

"So he's informed me," Naoto said. "After a fashion. It's more as if he's--"

"Putting things in your head, right?"

She nodded.

"Y'know, Senpai's got a couple that sm--that look like that, too," Kanji told her. "It doesn't mean they can't do nothing."

"Anything. Not nothing," Naoto answered absently. "But what exactly _does_ he do?" She turned toward Kanji. "He's mentioned light and dark. Are those useful?"

Kanji's eyes widened. "Uh... "

"It's like this," Yosuke said, kneeling down in the gap between them. Kanji hadn't even heard him approaching. "Light and dark kill almost anything outright..."

Naoto perked up. "Really?"

"... but you'll spend fifty years trying to hit something. Just ask Souji." Yosuke clapped her on the back, sparking another jolt. "Good luck, Naoto-kun!"

Sukuna-Hikona buzzed again. Naoto, who'd been glowering at Yosuke's back as he walked away, turned back to her Persona and glared at him instead.

"Maybe he can do something else too," Kanji offered.

"Disappearing would be a start. I can't seem to make him go away."

"Why don'cha ask him?"

"I just did," she muttered crossly. "He isn't cooperating."

"Well, just imagine it." Kanji tapped the side of his head. "Think of him going back inside."

Naoto leaned forward, brow furrowed slightly - and Sukuna Hikona vanished. Her eyebrows rose in surprise, and she turned to face Kanji. "I'm not certain how that worked - but thank you, Kanji-kun."

"No worries." Couldn't help grinning, but Naoto didn't seem to mind. "And don't think about it too much."

She hummed thoughtfully. "Rationalizing this may be futile. At the very least, it would waste valuable time." She climbed to her feet, quick and agile, and brushed the dirt from her pants. "We should return to the group."

Now upright, Kanji glanced down at her as she adjusted her cap. He hadn't screwed up. Naoto might not be doing cartwheels, but she wasn't sitting on the ground sulking either.

_Score one__ to Tatsumi, _he thought with a grin.

As they walked away, Naoto turned toward him. "How often does your Persona speak?"

He shrugged. "Not often. And he don't use words much. More feelings and sounds. Yours?"

"He's certainly had a great deal to say so far," she said flatly. "Most of it unhelpful."

Kanji paused, peering at her carefully. "He's... you know he's you, right?"

"I find _that_ difficult to believe," Naoto muttered.


	18. Chapter 15

_A/N: Story so far: Medical science couldn't explain Teddie, but did help Yosuke offend almost every girl on the team. Kanji was concerned with only one in particular - who found her true self and instantly disliked him._

_In this chapter: Kanji's over-protective, Rise's over-sensitive, but Naoto's still not over herself._

* * *

**October 9****th****, 2011**

In the six months since he'd first met her, Kanji had seen Naoto show only four or five different facial expressions, none particularly happy and most of them kind of blank. However, the one she wore right now - going by the glimpses he'd caught while pretending to inspect his knuckles - was new. Blue-grey eyes fixed straight ahead, lips pressed into a thin line, face even paler than usual - and generally looking like she'd rather be anywhere else on the planet.

Kanji could sympathize. The secret base looked no more inviting than last time and their reason for being here wasn't much better. He'd gotten Souji-senpai's text around nine last night and spent the next few hours trying to convince himself that he wasn't racked with worry over this entire thing. By the morning he'd been sick of thinking about it and devoted himself to cleaning the kitchen top to bottom, until Ma told him to stop scrubbing things that were already spotless and threw him outside.

Man, this was _stupid_. They'd been inside the TV yesterday. What was the point in jumping straight back in? No new leads on the killer, and Naoto had already summoned her Persona. Hell, exams were coming up - they'd all be better off staying home and studying. Kanji had thought about using that argument on Souji, except it would've been less convincing than Yukiko-senpai asking to skip a TV trip to so she could try out for the Yasogami High wrestling team.

She was the one Souji had originally wanted as the final member of today's team. It'd taken Kanji a lot of stammered half-sentences to persuade him otherwise.

"You know, Kanji-kun, if the wind changes then your face'll stay like that."

Kanji didn't bother to grunt or look down. Rise would soon get bored. Only talking to him because Senpai was busy chatting with Chie and Yukiko. Maybe they were kicking up a fuss about the team swap.

"Ooh, good thing Senpai put you on the team today. Smashing Shadows might cheer you up." Something jabbed him in the ribs, twice in quick succession. "'Cause if I have to keep watching you mope, I'm gonna end up miserable too."

No way was he _moping._ Worried sick, yeah. Pissed off, sure. Wanting to go break something, definitely.

He glanced down at Rise. "Sukuna-Hikona. You scanned him. He's tough?"

She frowned. "He's… weird, I guess. No weaknesses, but Light and Dark are pretty useless. Practically the first thing I figure out about a Shadow is that Darkness won't work. Kinda wish Himiko would stop telling me," she added, rolling her eyes.

No weaknesses. That was good. Every time Kanji came up against a Shadow with Garu, he swore he felt Take-Mikazuchi shudder. Only thing that ever made the big lump seem willing to fall back. And fine, Sukuna-Hikona's magic sucked, but he had to have a few other tricks. "Can't he do anything else?"

Rise shrugged. "Probably. It's hard to pick everything out from one scan. Guess we'll find out today."

Kanji had just opened his mouth to say he seriously hoped they wouldn't, when Chie turned around. "So, Naoto-kun," she said, then grinned and tipped a thumb toward the large metal bunker. "Featherman, huh?"

Naoto's cheeks flushed pink. "That, that isn't-"

"You were a fan, Chie?" Souji asked.

She shook her head. "Nope. Yukiko was, though. Made me watch it all the time." The next part was said like a whisper, except loud enough for everyone in a ten meter radius to hear. "She had a major crush on the Red Hawk."

"N-No I didn't!" Yukiko stammered, easily beating Naoto in pinkness. "And I was _eight_!"

"I don't blame you, Yukiko-senpai," chirped Rise, flashing a brilliant smile at Souji. "There's something about leaders, huh?"

Yosuke, sitting under a nearby tree and busy fending off Teddie's attempts to borrow his headphones, glanced over with a snort. "No way! The Yellow Owl was the coolest."

"Oh yeah, I remember him," Chie said thoughtfully. "Total dork."

The rest of the conversation quickly devolved into an argument over which ranger was best - all three girls taking the red side versus Yosuke's desperate defense of the yellow - so Kanji took the opportunity to steal another glance at Naoto. Wasn't blushing quite so hard now, but she was still staring at the ground.

They probably didn't have much in common. He couldn't see Naoto liking sewing, and the closest he got to fighting crime was smacking bikers around the shopping district. But hell, he knew Featherman.

He slouched closer, hoping it came off as casual as he intended. "So, uh...which one did you wanna be?"

Naoto looked up. "Hmm?"

"The rangers. Featherman." Man, this had sounded like a much better idea before he opened his mouth. "I-I wanted to be the Orange Sparrow. Guy could dart around like nothing else."

Her eyebrows arched with surprise. "Not the Black Condor?"

"He was okay. Knew how to fight." Kind of an asshole too, from what Kanji remembered. Kept ragging on the Red Hawk. He frowned. "Did you wanna be him?"

"No, I-" The sentence stopped after the first word, and Naoto's expression instantly closed off. "I-I hardly think discussing a children's television show is relevant to the task at hand."

Kanji was tempted to point out that it was _her_ subconscious that'd invented a secret ranger base and filled it full of robots - but hell, a bathhouse headed by a screeching harpy was ten times worse. He kept his mouth shut, while the rest of the team kept flapping theirs.

Eventually, Souji's voice cut across the rest. "Come on, guys. We don't want to spend all day on this." He gestured to Yukiko, Yosuke and Teddie. "You three wait here with Rise. Might swap you in later."

_Better not_, Kanji thought.

Just as before, a red and black portal was swirling in the entrance to the base. Chie was the first to step through, urging a reluctant Naoto alongside her. As Kanji moved to follow, a hand grabbed his elbow.

Souji eyed him cautiously. His hand hadn't moved. "Kanji. This is a training run, so I'm okay with bringing you along." His gaze flickered to the portal. "But you can't always be on the same team."

Kanji gulped and shook his head. "Don't care. That ain't why I-"

"Fine," Souji interrupted, dropping his hand to his side. "Just remember, we fight by strategy - and sometimes you'll be waiting back at the lot."

_High and mighty leader_, Kanji thought, teeth clenched - then choked out a muttered _no problem_ and glared at the ground.

Senpai was just out of sorts because he'd wanted to bring Yukiko. Probably sulking. Okay, that didn't seem much like him, but there was no other reason why he wouldn't understand that Kanji being there made sense. Even though the team didn't really need two front-line fighters. Even though Souji would now have to work support. Even though Yukiko would've been the logical, reasonable choice.

Kanji had never been big on logic. He swallowed hard, trying to calm his yammering nerves, and stepped through the portal.

Inside, the base was the same as before. Metal floors lined with rivets, pipes crawling over the ceiling, eagle crests on the walls and doors. Naoto surveyed the corridor, face tinted green under the light and still managing to look pale. She licked her lips, then bit down on the lower one.

"I. I hadn't seen it before. Just the laboratory." She turned to Souji. "Could we-isn't there somewhere else we could-"

"Nope," Souji said evenly.

Chie nodded. "Gotta do it sometime, Naoto-kun."

Easy for them to say. Souji didn't have a Shadow, or at least hadn't bumped into it somewhere stupid that his head made up. Chie, she'd just been part of Yukiko's - and it was Yukiko that got bent out of shape whenever they went back to the castle, not her. Kanji couldn't stand going back to his, especially not with the rest of the team around. Way too embarrassing, like somebody coming over to your house and finding your dirty laundry strewn over the floor - except it was... head-laundry, or something. Which was much worse.

"C'mon, let's find you some Shadows to beat." Chie tipped her chin toward the corridor ahead.

Naoto nodded dully. Still glancing around the corridor, she began to follow the two senpai - making sure to stay a few strides behind. Matching her pace was difficult, but Kanji managed to fall into step alongside her.

"Hey...s'alright, yeah?" he tried. "Not like your Shadow's here now."

Naoto gestured fiercely around her, taking in the floor, walls and ceiling. "This. Why would I... it's utterly childish. A _secret base_," she muttered.

"C'mon," Kanji coaxed. "It ain't that bad, believe me."

"It should be something different. A...a..." She tipped up her chin. "A detective agency, or a police station, or-or a study."

By that logic, Kanji's should have been either a schoolyard brawl or a sewing shop full of kittens. "Yeah, well. Rise's was a strip club."

Naoto blinked at him.

Oh _man_. He honestly hadn't meant to let that slip. Seriously. What if Rise heard him?

"B-but I didn't tell you that, right?" he stammered, quiet as he could. "Rise, she won't just kill me, she'll-" He swallowed. "Do something a thousand times worse. Millions."

Naoto frowned, blinked again, and almost walked into Chie. Her and Souji had stopped dead in the corridor, both now staring through a nearby door. When Kanji peered over their heads, the room beyond looked like all the others - green light, steel floor, long rows of monitors and switches - until he caught the black, swirling mass hovering in the center.

Souji was bent on one knee, his palm pressed against the floor. "I think we've found a target," he murmured.

_Honestly, Senpai. Rushing in and starting fights with poor, innocent Shadows...I thought Kanji-kun was the bad influence!_

"Sorry, Rise. I'm leading the others astray." He glanced over his shoulder. "Including Naoto-kun here. Ready, Naoto?"

"Of course," Naoto answered, far too smoothly.

"On three, then. One, two-"

"Three!" Chie finished, and launched herself straight from a crouch to a forward dash. Naoto followed a split-second later, pulling her pistol and dodging round Souji before Kanji had time to raise his shield.

Dammit, if she ran off like that-was she _trying_ to make this difficult?

Kanji raced after her into the room, cursing under his breath with each step. The black mass of Shadows had already started to stretch out like marshmallow, the buzzing and humming growing louder as it split into three separate, shapeless globs. None of them stayed that way long. They molded into crude figures within moments, two of them big and humanoid - Gigas, he guessed.

"Wh-what-" Naoto started - then visibly braced, her expression leveling out as she took aim.

_Two Gigas and a Relic, guys. Remember, no physicals, no fire - and Kanji-kun, no electricity!_

Too right. Couldn't toss lightning at those guys unless you wanted it sparking back in your ears and straight down your spine. Kanji had learned that much trying to tackle this place without Souji. But that was cool; Chie had Bufu, Naoto had whatever, and Senpai could always bust out one of his other Personas.

_No physicals on the Relic, either, but it's weak to fire. _

Kanji winced.

Souji shot him a pointed look. "Chie and I will take the Gigas. Kanji, Naoto, you've got the Relic."

Naoto tore her eyes away from the Shadows long enough to give a brief nod. All four fanned out, Kanji following Naoto to the left as Chie and Souji moved right.

Shit, he hated fights like this. Wasn't like these guys were hard, but he was useless if he couldn't smash stuff. Ran out of steam too quick. Fire off too many Ziodynes, and he'd have nothing left for the next fight. He glanced sideways at Naoto, expecting her to summon - but instead, she backed away, angled her gun, and pulled the trigger. The bullet ricocheted off the Relic's head, striking the floor barely two steps in front of her.

Dammit, which part of 'no physicals' didn't she understand?

Scowling, Kanji crushed his card in one hand. _"Take-Mikazuchi!"_

Take-Mikazuchi crackled into life and lurched forward, fist outstretched to match Kanji's own. A bolt of lightning crashed down into the Shadow, knocking it back almost far enough to topple - but only almost.

The Relic rocked forward again, creaking and grinding, and sent a burst of flame roaring towards Naoto.

She didn't budge. Kanji's stomach lurched into his chest, twisted inside-out on the way, because there was no way he could- "Naoto! Move!"

At the last possible moment - he swore her hat got singed - Naoto dodged. She ducked to the left, still moving, and fired off a second shot that glanced off the Relic and into the wall behind her. She frowned, her lips moving silently.

Why the hell wasn't she summoning? "Put the frickin' gun away!"

Across the room, Senpai echoed him. "Naoto, you have to use your Persona!"

The frown got worse. Gun arm still raised, Naoto held out her other palm - and her card snapped into the air, shattering around a bullet seconds later. Sukuna-Hikona spiraled out and slashed across the Shadow, Hama Runes glowing in the wake of his sword.

Whenever he got a new Persona that had light or dark, Souji always tried out their powers. Wishful thinking, he called it. Hama had hit once, when they went up against a Shadow Rise could tell was weak to it. Mudoon had failed every time. And now, just as Kanji expected, the Hama runes faded away - the Relic shrugging off the spell as if Naoto had never cast it.

Take-Mikazuchi made a noise that didn't contain any words, yet still made it pretty clear what he thought of midget Personas and their crappy magic - which shifted into panic as the Relic's chest cracked in two.

Kanji dropped to his knees and threw up his shield. A furious wind blasted around the edges, whipping his coat around his shoulders. Teeth clenched, he tucked down his head, glanced to his left - and watched Naoto slam into the wall.

Later, he wouldn't remember actually deciding to run. He just did it - sprinted clear past the Relic, the last of the gale still buffeting him, grabbed Naoto by the waist and hauled her up. "Shit, you okay?"

Naoto stared at him fuzzily - breath coming in gasps, narrow shoulders heaving. Blood was trickling down her chin. She'd torn her lip, probably bit it on reflex.

"Wh-what are you-" she finally stuttered out - then smacked both fists hard against his biceps.

Kanji barely felt it. He jerked back his hands all the same, but mostly because he'd realized they were still around her waist. "You, you alright? You hurt?" Of course she was, she was _bleeding_. "Dammit, I shoulda been-"

Naoto glared. "_Move_," she muttered, yanking her pistol back by its cord and shoving past him. Facing forward, eyes tracking the Relic's movements, she darted away as Kanji looked to his right. Souji and Chie had both the Gigas on the ropes, but Senpai was looking battered. He'd given up on support in favor of hurling out as many Bufu spells as he could. Chie was trying to do the same, scowling each time when her target barely flinched.

A gunshot sounded to his left. Had to be Naoto. Probably trying Mudoon. "Naoto, you know that ain't gonna-"

He caught one glimpse of Sukuna-Hikona darting forward, sword held out, before his vision flashed white.

Blind and deaf, Kanji fell hard on his knees. Fricking hurt, so at least he knew he wasn't dead - and by the time his ears finally stopped ringing and he'd blinked his vision clear, all three Shadows had hit the deck. The air sizzled as they sputtered out of existence.

Hovering over them, Sukuna-Hikona buzzed once, did a little loop back to Naoto, then disappeared.

Holy crap. Guess the little guy had it in him after all.

_Yeah, Himiko finally figured it out! Megidola. Knew there was something I was missing. Naoto-kun just needed a little push._

Kanji couldn't help a broad smile. It vanished when he saw the blood still staining Naoto's jaw.

"No weaknesses, you said," he muttered at Rise.

_What're you talking about? She got up just fine. Stop fussing!_

Kanji wanted to snap back at her, but it would've been halfhearted. Rise was right. You got hit by the wrong sort of spell, you went out hard. If you were lucky, somebody would smack you to your senses and toss out a Dia before whatever you were fighting finished the job. Naoto was fine.

"Awesome, Naoto-kun!" Chie bounded over from the other side of the room, skidded to a halt, and raised her palm for a high-five that Naoto tried to turn into a handshake. "Right, Souji?"

"Good job, guys. That was a little more hectic than I'd have liked," Souji said, wiping at his forehead.

"No kidding. Felt kinda useless there."

Naoto bowed her head. "You contributed admirably, Chie-senpai."

"C'mon, stop that." Chie tipped her own with a skeptical look. "You don't have to flatter me. I know what I'm good at."

"You did fine," Souji insisted. "It's rare we hit a fight like that. Trial by fire," he added, with a smile at Naoto.

She nodded back. "Indeed. Please excuse me, senpai," she said - then turned around and looked straight at Kanji.

His stomach tightened on reflex, partly because it always did when he met her eyes, but mostly because she looked like she wanted to drag him into a police station, shine a spotlight in his face and grill him for a week. She crossed the gap between them in seconds, each step quick and decisive, fists clenched at her sides.

Man, if this was how she handled criminals, Kanji almost felt sorry for them.

Naoto stared up at him, eyes narrowed almost into slits. "Kanji-kun, what were your intentions during that battle?"

Crap. She'd noticed.

Lacking ideas, Kanji tried playing dumb. "What d'you mean?"

"Offering me assistance. There was no strategic purpose in it. I don't under-" Naoto stopped, glanced away, and started over. "If I had suffered a severe injury, perhaps it would have been justified, but I-" She paused again and ran her hand along her jaw, smearing the blood on her chin - then looked him in the eye. "Why?"

There was no right response to that. "Uh-I-well. First battle, y'know." He made it sound as convincing as he could, which wasn't very. But Naoto seemed mollified, at least a little, and the look of suspicion faded.

"I...suppose that's acceptable," she said carefully, still holding his gaze. "But refrain from doing so again. It isn't necessary."

Except it _had_ been. What, he was supposed to leave her on the floor? Naoto and him were teammates. Teammates looked out for each other. "Just tryin' to help," he mumbled.

Apparently, it was the wrong answer.

Naoto bristled. Her jaw tightened, her eyes narrowed again, and the next sentence came out rushed and jagged. "I understand that I am new to this, Kanji, and that you have all been working with your Personas for far longer, but believe me when I say that I am perfectly capable of handling-"

"I know that! Just, you got smacked into-I, I thought you were hurt." Screw it, this whole conversation made no sense. _Naoto_ made no sense. "An' you were!"

"A cut lip hardly qualifies as an injury - and as an electricity user, it was far more risky for you to involve yourself."

On one level, Kanji wondered where she'd picked up on that. On another - the more familiar and instinctive one - she was really pissing him off. "Don't matter," he muttered through the small gap left between his clenched teeth.

If Naoto heard, she didn't show it. "You should concentrate on the task at hand and your own safety. If I need anyone's help, I will ask for it."

"You mean when you're out cold on the frickin' floor?" Definitely wasn't the right thing to say, and this time he knew it.

Naoto leaned forward. Kanji automatically leaned back.

"Tatsumi," she said, very quietly. "I have told you before. I do _not_ require babysitting."

As he stared down at Naoto, who was trying hard to be intimidating and half-succeeding on guts alone, a new thought crossed Kanji's mind. Even though it wasn't for a good reason - and even though she was glaring football-sized holes in him - he finally had Naoto Shirogane's full attention.

Thoughts like that didn't help at all.

"Fine. _Fine_," he repeated, growling deep in his throat. "Won't do it again. First fight, s'all."

Naoto gave a single, brisk nod. "Good. Now, excuse me."

Kanji watched her turn on her heels, stride over to the wall by the door - about the furthest away she could get without leaving the room - and start reloading her pistol.

What the hell was so hard for her to understand? Why wouldn't he have helped her? Shouldn't have even let her get thrown across the room in the first place. She was _little_. A lug like him could shrug it off, no problem - but if Kanji had stopped to think about it, he would've been worried about hurting Naoto just picking her up. Somebody like that, they weren't made for fighting. Chie-senpai wasn't that much bigger, and he'd kinda worried about her too - for about five minutes. Their first battle together not only proved she could take a hit, she was agile enough that most of them never landed. Kanji still wanted to help, sometimes, but told himself his senpai knew what she was doing.

Yukiko was different, because while she wasn't small, she looked... fragile was the wrong word. Graceful, maybe. The sort of strength a person didn't keep in their fists, and no matter what, she always looked out of place in battle. Didn't help that he'd known her for years. But she always stood at the back - and if Chie was there, any Shadow aiming for Yukiko needed to survive a flurry of high kicks first. Rise was fine as well, since she stayed so far behind the team, assuming she'd even followed them inside. If she hadn't, somebody always waited with her. Good thing, too. The image of Rise in a fight was even weirder than actually watching Yukiko.

But Naoto? She was a problem.

She'd be at the front. No other option. All Sukuna-Hikona could do was attack, which was about the dumbest thing ever for a Persona less than a meter tall with an owner who wasn't much bigger. Especially when that owner thought she had something to prove.

Kanji shook his head. He had to let this go. Naoto had bitched him out just for helping her up; if he'd tried to push her aside and take the hit, he'd be wearing a new set of bullet holes.

Didn't stop him from wishing he'd done it.

* * *

"So what was with that? You fall asleep standing up?"

"Just missed, s'all," Kanji lied. He already knew Chie wouldn't be convinced, not when he'd screwed up in all three of their other fights. Too busy staring at Naoto and forcing himself not to rush over whenever she got hit.

Shit, this was pathetic.

Chie cocked an eyebrow. "Okay, so I know_ that's_ not true. We've fought together for months, Kanji-kun, and I've never seen you miss an opening like that."

He wasn't even sure which fight she meant. Last one, probably. He'd missed a chance to Ziodyne a Panzer through the floor because he'd been watching Naoto dodge a slash from a Royal Dancer's sword. "S'okay. You took 'em down."

"Yeah, but I didn't _need_ to."

Kanji grunted and shoved his hands in his pockets. Cold out. Stupid of him to still be hanging around in the food court, since Naoto didn't show any sign of leaving soon and wouldn't want him walking with her anyway. She'd been sat at the same table for ten minutes now, talking with Teddie (though from where Kanji was standing, it looked a little more like an interrogation).

Maybe he should offer to walk her anyway. Wasn't like she'd shoot him in the middle of Junes. She'd just make him feel about a centimeter tall instead, and that was-

"You know, if somebody tried to do that to me, I'd be pissed."

He turned back to Chie. "Do what?"

"Take a hit. Jump in front of me, push me out the way, whatever." Her hands settled on her hips. "Because I know I can take it, and doing that-it'd be like saying I _couldn't_. They'd be taking the fight away from me."

"Never did any of that," insisted Kanji - not mentioning that he still wished he had.

"But you wanted to," she pointed out. "And I'd also get mad if somebody cut out in the middle of battle just so they could haul me up."

They hadn't known each other before he signed up with the team, but Kanji liked Chie. Girl knew how to fight and eat: both qualities he could admire. Gutsy, too. Different as they were (maybe because they were) he could totally see why Yukiko-senpai liked her. All that said, she'd never struck him as the observant type - which meant either she was currently channeling Souji-senpai, or Kanji had been about as subtle as a brick in the face.

"Dunno what you mean," he mumbled, glaring at a point roughly twenty centimeters above her head.

"C'mon, Kanji-kun, I'm not blind! I _know_ why you didn't hit that Shadow. And I'm just saying it'd piss me off if I was on the receiving end."

"That ain't-" he began, then swallowed. "S'different. You can fight."

She shrugged. "So can Naoto. Her Persona has physicals, right? She's no worse off than Yosuke."

One of Rise's comments fluttered into Kanji's mind - the one about Chie and Yosuke and girls throwing bugs at boys, or something like that. "What if it was him?"

"Huh?"

"Yosuke. If he was the one helping you."

Chie's eyes widened. Kanji angled his head slightly, trying to work out if she looked horrified, insulted, guilty, or all three at once.

"Wh-Why would that matter?" she snapped.

_Uh-oh._ "I-I just-"

"The only difference is that I'd smack him afterward!" She stamped a foot against the tiled floor. It landed dangerously close to one of Kanji's. "He's-he knows better!"

Kanji wondered if Yosuke had tried, back when the senpai first went inside the TV. Might never have occurred to him. Maybe it did, but he knew Chie would be pissed - or he did take a blow for her once, and got bitched out so bad he never tried again.

Except it wasn't something you could control, not like that. Every time Naoto got hit - or just came close to it - Kanji had already lurched forward two steps before he could remind himself to stay put.

Maybe it would get easier. It had to.

He turned to Chie again. She was making small hops from one foot to another and still looked rattled.

"What if it was Yukiko-senpai?" he asked.

She frowned. "Helping me?"

"No. Other way. If she was in trouble."

Chie's expression shifted. She glanced away, fingers curling inward to tug at her track jacket sleeve.

"I-I dunno. I guess I'd- I'd want to-" She shook her head. "That's different. Yukiko, she can't fight back. I've always looked after her. You and Naoto-kun only met a few months ago and she can handle herself."

Only a few months. Kanji usually did his best to ignore that part; told himself it didn't matter. Love at first sight, right?

Yeah, like Naoto was into _that_. Wasn't what he felt, either, because it didn't exist. He squared his shoulders and gave Chie a firm nod, ignoring the hot coils twisting in his stomach. "'Course she can."

* * *

**October 11th**

Kanji was quickly learning that, among her many other talents, Naoto had an amazing knack for sulking.

Sure, Yosuke had been an ass. That was Yosuke. Rising to his bait wouldn't change that. It might've been hypocritical of Kanji to think so after he'd almost put the guy through a wall, but everyone knew he had a temper. Naoto was supposed to be unflappable. Then again, she'd lost her rag at her Shadow, and that cop back in the summer. Possibly a bunch of other cops too, if the stuff Souji and Yosuke had heard at the station was anything to go by. Right now, she looked dangerously close to losing it with Rise, who'd been trying to wring a reaction out of her for the past ten minutes.

"Oh, stop pouting, Naoto-kun!"

Naoto didn't answer, instead continuing to glower at a random section of the food court fence. In response, Rise made a tight, frustrated sound, threw up her hands and started a pout of her own.

Though he didn't talk much, Kanji had never been comfortable with silence. He was on the verge of tipping over the damn table just to make some noise when Naoto finally spoke.

"_Useless_," she muttered. "As if _he_ would know."

"It's Yosuke-senpai!" Rise insisted, then slouched back in her seat and tugged irritably at a loose strand of hair. "He was only kidding."

He'd still hurt Naoto's feelings, though. Or her pride. Which was probably the same thing. If Kanji had a complex, or whatever Naoto had told the senpai, she sure as hell had one too. But if somebody had made her feel bad, wasn't he supposed to do something about that?

"Right, Kanji-kun?"

"Right," he repeated - still trying to figure out whether he should smack Yosuke on principle or tell Naoto to just fricking get over it. The first wouldn't help. The second was honest but kind of harsh, and also something he hadn't fully learned how to do himself.

Naoto stared at them both in turn, then turned back to the fence. Her fingers moved over the edge of her cap, pausing to fumble with the band of fabric around the middle. Kanji wondered if it was coming loose.

"Perhaps I ought to have-I haven't had the opportunity to study many second year subjects. My studies have been…lopsided, possibly." Her hand had shifted to the table now, fingertips pressing hard against the surface, and she shook her head. "I simply didn't think I'd be of any use in-"

"You're not useless, you couldn't be!" Kanji insisted, slamming a hand on the table for emphasis. Then the words finally made it to his brain, along with the realization that he'd missed Naoto's own hand by centimeters. _Play it cool_, he told himself, and waited a few extra seconds before jerking his arm back like it was on fire.

Naoto glanced from her hand to him and back again, frowned, then tipped down her chin. Her next comment seemed to be directed at the table. "R-regardless, Yosuke-senpai had no right to say that. The police have called me many things, but not..." The sentence trailed off into nothing.

All three of them fell silent.

Kanji shot a pointed glance at Rise, hoping she'd kick-start things again - or at least kick Naoto out of her funk - but she just rolled her eyes. Probably still pissed that Souji was coaching Yosuke today and not her. She hadn't been able to wrangle any future sessions out of him either; Senpai must've finally noticed that the more time she spent fixing him with dreamy stares in the library, the lower her grades dropped.

Okay. Conversation. Something they could all talk about. Not Featherman, that'd bombed big time.

"So. You, uh." Wait. He could _prove_ Naoto was useful. "Y-You were serious 'bout coaching me? And Rise?"

Naoto looked up. "Of course. I offered before." She gestured vaguely towards them both. "Besides, the two of you clearly require instruction to ensure an adequate performance."

"_Thanks_, Naoto-kun," Rise huffed. "We really needed you to tell us how dumb we are."

Naoto stared blankly for a full second before her forehead creased into a frown. "That isn't what I meant."

"Rise's teasing," Kanji interjected, hoping he was right. "S'nice of you. Offering to help."

"Ah." Hesitating, Naoto shifted slightly in her chair. "Well, I-it was Rise-san's idea, originally. And, and I feel I should..." Her gaze drifted to the side. "Make an effort, I suppose."

What was he supposed to make of that? Did it mean she wanted to help, or that Senpai was making her? He'd already said she needed to treat the rest of the team better - at least, better than she did before she joined. She probably didn't give a damn about helping.

"Y-you don't have to," he blurted out. "If you don't want."

"It's no trouble to me, Kanji-kun. And it would benefit you both."

Didn't answer his question. Which, he realized, was probably more _do you wanna spend time with me_ than anything to do with helping him get better grades - and was therefore really, really stupid.

He grunted. Must've sounded encouraging, because Naoto turned to Rise. "Is that agreeable, Rise-san?"

Rise sighed and burrowed further into her padded jacket. "I guess."

With the confidence of somebody safely on home turf, Naoto gave a quick, firm nod. "Then we'll meet here tomorrow, after school."

* * *

**October 12nd**

"Naoto-kun, I give up. I can't study any more."

_Any more_ was kind of misleading. Far as Kanji could tell, Rise had spent the last twenty minutes doodling in the margins of her notes (mostly stars, save for a long string of hearts with her and Senpai's names in them). It'd been an improvement on the ten minutes before that, which she'd spent kicking his ankles beneath the picnic bench.

"Nonsense," Naoto insisted. "You simply aren't focused."

Rise huffed in response and kicked Kanji's ankle again. He didn't really notice, since he was busy pretending not to look at Naoto. She was sitting the other side of the bench, mathematics notes stacked in a line of neat piles in front of her. From Kanji's angle the pages were upside down, but he could still tell that while the handwriting wasn't exactly elegant - Naoto wrote everything in capital letters - everything was hyper-organized, all numbered headings and carefully drawn diagrams.

...So what the hell was with that closet in her apartment? Stuff just thrown in there, all over the-

Wait, he didn't want to think about that. Trigonometry. Definitely a safer bet. Besides, he didn't want Naoto thinking he was dumb. Unfortunately, his own notes comprised three pages of scribbles that even he couldn't decode and one sheet of new doll designs, and he'd left them at home rather than risk Naoto seeing them. Wasn't his fault math class was boring. Geometry was kind of useful, though. Good for sewing patterns. Shame he wasn't learning much of it, since Naoto's approach to coaching involved hurtling at the speed of light through each topic then shoving worksheets across the table.

"Why can't we do this indoors, anyway?" Rise whined, folding her arms and pouting. "Like at the library?"

Naoto shook her head. "I can't instruct you there. Talking is forbidden."

People weren't his strong spot, but Kanji had a pretty good handle on Rise. What she really wanted was for Senpai to appear in the food court, sweep her off her feet and whisk her away to a study session that didn't involve actual studying. Naoto had been doomed from the start. "But it's cold! I'm gonna freeze!"

"I assure you, Rise-san, the weather is fine."

"_Whatever_, Naoto."

Kanji winced.

When she wasn't trying to ruin his life, at least the parts involving Naoto, Rise was really neat. She always kept a conversation going, she could probably beat Teddie in a sparkle contest, and she was the perkiest, most optimistic person Kanji had ever met - right up until the moment she blew her stack. The tone of voice she'd just used marked that point. Rise-the-diva was about to hit.

Kanji ducked his head and tried to look interested in his textbook.

"I understand that the case is more pressing than schoolwork, but-"

"That's not why I can't concentrate," Rise snapped. "This stuff is just _boring_."

"Regardless," said Naoto, so coolly it even bugged him, "your lack of interest in the topic is _not_ an excuse to fail your exams."

"I got by fine last time!"

Scraped by was more accurate. Skin of the teeth. Rise had done almost as bad as him; she just glossed over it better.

Naoto shook her head. "I doubt that. I understand you've had a successful music career, but you-"

"Since when were you my mom?" Rise narrowed her eyes, hovering dangerously close to a sneer. "Don't be such a know-it-all."

This time, Naoto's voice was a lot less steady. "I am not-"

"Like you know anything!" snapped Rise - arms folded tight, shoulders viciously angled, and generally looking like an pissed off piece of origami. "I'm gonna hire translators for the English and I'll get accountants to do the numbers and if I want anything else, I-I'll make someone look it up online!"

"That's-there's no excuse for apathy, or-or laziness!"

"I'm not lazy! You just suck as a tutor!"

Kanji cleared his throat. "Hey, maybe we oughta-"

"My explanations have been perfectly clear! If you're incapable of understanding them, then-"

"Oh, so now I'm stupid again?"

"That isn't what I said, but obviously you're just hearing-"

His fist smacked into the table hard enough to shake it. "Dammit, I don't wanna listen to this crap!"

Both Rise and Naoto were shocked into silence. Kanji, who hadn't expected it either, came pretty close. "Carry on like that and we won't get nothing done," he muttered, half pissed off and half hoping he hadn't hurt their feelings.

Naoto opened her mouth to speak, but stopped short of forming the words. Rise leapt in. "Not everyone's as strung out as you, Naoto," she snapped, standing up and slamming both palms against the table surface. "You need to get over yourself!" With that - and a final angry huff - she grabbed her bag, slipped out from the bench, then stalked across the food court and through the store doors.

Kanji watched her leave in silence. When he glanced back at Naoto, her hands were curled into tight fists on the table. The knuckles were white.

"Don't hold it against her," he offered. "She's just pissed, she'll get over it."

"Rise's episodes do not concern me." Naoto stared firmly at her hands, her lips drawn in a narrow line. "This was purely a gesture of goodwill. She's being ungrateful."

_Irony_, Kanji thought.

"And there was absolutely nothing wrong with my methodology," Naoto added, voice confident, as she folded her arms and leaned back from the table.

Kanji swallowed. "Uh... well, I kinda understand how she feels." He hesitated, watching Naoto carefully. "You, you jumped too much stuff. Went too fast. Then when she called you on it, you-"

Naoto, who'd turned to stone at some point during his last few sentences, fixed him with a glare that could strip paint. "I devoted more than enough time to explaining the concepts," she shot back. "If Rise was unable to follow, she either wasn't paying attention or, or she simply lacks the cognitive ability."

Kanji had expected-okay, he didn't know what he'd expected, because if it was for Naoto to be reasonable for once, then-

He frowned and let out a long breath. "Look, I didn't understand much either."

Her glare shifted to the side. "Then the same applies to you," she muttered, with a sharp tug at the brim of her cap.

Kanji's throat tightened. Under the table, his hand made a fist against his knee.

"Well, I guess there ain't any point in this," he muttered - choking down the urge to shout or curse or break something, just to stop feeling like a complete idiot - "if I'm too stupid to ever get it."

Later on he'd decide it was just desperation, a trick of his ears - but as he stormed away from the table, he was sure he heard Naoto say his name. He still didn't look back.

* * *

The stuffed toy rabbit couldn't read textbooks, didn't make smart-ass remarks, and had spent the entire day sitting quietly on the sewing table. It didn't deserve any of the twenty-two needle-holes Kanji had jabbed into it.

Wasn't his fault. He couldn't concentrate. Sewing had always calmed him down before, put his mind back in order - but now Naoto was jumbling it all up, same as everything else. _Great going, Tatsumi._ Mooning after someone who flew off the handle when he tried to help them and called him an idiot in the middle of the food court. Couldn't have picked a worse crush.

Kanji wished he knew how to pick a different one. He couldn't remember choosing the first.

Forget about that. Finish the rabbit. The kid by the river was expecting it. When they met two nights ago, Kanji had offered to make one on reflex - like he could've resisted - and been mortified when he remembered Souji was standing next to him. Senpai had been real good about it, though. Didn't laugh. He actually encouraged Kanji - who, not for the first time in his life, briefly and fiercely wished he was somebody different. Somebody like Souji.

Souji was a good guy. Naoto was-

His cell buzzed in his pocket. Kanji fished it out and flipped it open.

_STUDY TOMORROW Y/N_

The number wasn't one he knew. It didn't matter.

Shit, he wasn't even sure where Naoto had gotten his number. Must've been from Rise. Who'd probably shove a ballpoint pen in Naoto's ear if she tried to act as tutor again. Had the kid blanked out the last six hours?

He tapped out a message. _what bout rise?_

_WILL TALK W/HER_

Before he had time to answer - he couldn't figure out a good way to ask when that conversation would happen or whether Naoto would mind him vanishing when it did - a third message arrived.

_SORRY FOR EARLIER_

Kanji gripped the phone in his hand, thumb hovering over the keypad, and stared dumbly at the screen until it shut off.


	19. Interlude 4

_A/N: Story so far: Kanji tried to be Naoto's television-diving white knight. Naoto responded by calling him and Rise stupid (or by trying her best to educate them, depending on who you ask).  
_

_In this brief interlude: Naoto struggles to correct her mistake (and, at times, acknowledge that she made one)._

_EDIT: Apparently there were some formatting issues that chopped lines out of this chapter. My fault. Should be fixed now.  
_

* * *

The delay was irrational.

Excluding her kidnapping, Naoto had entered the television only twice: once to summon her Persona, and once to fight her first Shadow. The last excursion had been eight days ago. No further training sessions had occurred since and none of the team seemed willing to discuss the case.

Distracted by their studies, perhaps. There were the exams to consider. With the exception of Amagi-senpai and Seta-san, the academic performances of Naoto's schoolmates ranged from mediocre to disastrous - which had been the impetus behind her offer of assistance to Rise-san and Kanji-kun. Seta-san had mentioned that neither were sufficiently devoted to their studies. Naoto had consequently anticipated some resistance, perhaps even a degree of awkwardness - but there was awkwardness, and then there was hostility.

_(Nothostile-newfriends-tryharder-tryharder) _

Sukuna-Hikona, of course. Her jaw tightened._ Be quiet. And slow down when you speak. _

Her behavior had been perfectly reasonable. Perfectly. Or so she'd tried to convince herself, walking home from Junes after Kanji's departure and mentally reviewing her actions. By eight in the evening, she'd decided that her tutoring method had not been suited to the situation - and that perhaps, in a certain context, her comments could possibly be seen as ill-considered. Another hour had passed before she'd tapped out a message to Kanji and quickly hit the send button.

Naoto had been startled when he'd replied to the first. She'd waited thirty minutes before accepting the second and third had been ignored.

Sukuna-Hikona buzzed at her again: something about phrasing the apology incorrectly, perhaps, or that the timing had been wrong, or that Kanji had simply been sidetracked. A rapid-fire barrage of explanations and justifications, the Persona unable to finish one before switching to another.

_I don't know the rules_, Naoto finally pointed out. Without that knowledge, any theory was mere conjecture.

The buzzing stopped.

It wasn't her fault. She'd _tried_. There had been no obligation for her to assist them to begin with, or even to offer, and if Kanji, or Rise, or the entire team were unable to accept her as she was – if Naoto was expected to reshape herself to fit others – then seeking their company was pointless. Needless. She would establish the alliance she'd originally planned: one that was practical, unambiguous, and purely professional.

In the cauterizing light of day, Naoto wondered how she'd ever believed that possible.

She swallowed, her steps quickening, and continued pacing the first-floor corridor. She'd expected too much. Expected others to prove rational. Which they never had and never would. But there had been nothing rational in losing her temper with Rise, or in implying Kanji was--

Head tilted down, Naoto had almost reached the door of the Practice Building when she slammed into something large, warm, and dressed in a Yasogami High uniform. She yelped, staggered backwards, glanced up - and met the gaze of a bemused-looking Souji Seta.

"Alright there, Naoto-kun?" he asked, hand outstretched.

She didn't take it, preferring to flail briefly with one arm until she righted herself. The girl standing next to Seta - an immaculately groomed blonde whom Naoto hadn't met but had seen hanging around the school gate - rolled her eyes.

"I-I apologize, Senpai. Are you injured?" Of course he wasn't. He'd barely have flinched.

"Nope. Don't worry about it. By the way, I heard you and Rise made up?"

How had he even heard about the disagreement? Had Kanji told him? Or Rise herself?

"No, I, I--" Naoto managed, without much idea of what she actually wanted to say.

Seta, meanwhile, smiled in a way that left her feeling both absurdly proud and approximately ten centimeters tall. "Glad to hear it."

The sentiment soon dissipated. His praise was undeserved. "I didn't--Kanji-kun, he's--"

"Through the door, in the Practice Building." Seta tipped his thumb over his shoulder. "Very responsible of you, Naoto-kun, wanting to make up."

"B-but I wasn't--"

The blonde girl's expression had turned unsettling. "Whatever. Just watch where you're going next time - and quit staring at your feet while you're walking." She glanced down. "No way are _those_ shoes worth it." With that, she shoved past Naoto and continued down the corridor, dragging Seta by the arm behind her. He barely had time for an apologetic shrug.

Seta would have known what to say. He wouldn't have lost his temper to begin with. _What am I supposed to do_, Naoto almost called after him - and quickly clenched her teeth. Ridiculous. There was no reason why she would require help in making amends with Kanji. Assuming she needed to at all.

Carefully uncurling her fingers from their fists, she stepped forward and pushed open the door to the Practice Building.

The clubs that had convened after school were already underway, and the corridor was almost empty. Peering around the corner by the main door, Naoto could see two third year girls talking by the stairs, a second year boy sitting on the floor fiddling with a piece of wire - and one Kanji Tatsumi glaring through the window of the Home Economics room.

She stepped back. No need to make her presence known yet. Not when Kanji had barely spoken to her in days.

Exams, though. Besides, he'd seemed uncomfortable around her since their first meeting. Naoto had originally attributed it to oddness.

_(Look-at-us-look-at-us-notnormaltoo)_

As far as Naoto was concerned, the non-combat benefits of a Persona had yet to make themselves known. If Sukuna-Hikona had proven unhelpful inside the television, outside he was nothing but an irritant - particularly when he was right.

She glanced at Kanji again. He was leaning forward, shoulders hunched, with his hands shoved in his pockets.

Seta had been wrong. She deserved no credit for making amends with Rise. The situation had resolved itself - and might have done so earlier if not for her clumsy attempts to apologize. Rise had cut off the fourth effort after the first choked-out half-sentence with a quicksilver smile and an immediate segue into gossiping about Seta. Naoto hadn't pushed the issue. Endangering the sudden ceasefire had seemed unwise when all her other attempts at reconciliation had somehow ended with Rise storming away down the corridor.

But Kanji was a different matter. No response to her first apology, but no overt antagonism. Naoto, accustomed to the definite, couldn't determine whether a problem existed, much less the best action to correct it.

_I don't know the rules._

Kanji's gaze was still firmly on the window. He hadn't noticed her. She could leave. But the responsible thing to do - the _adult_ thing to do - would be to repair matters. Any animosity between them could jeopardize both the team's safety and the outcome of the entire case. The thought had left Naoto in a quiet, low-level state of dread for the past few days, for multiple reasons.

She took a deep breath, then stepped forward. "Good afternoon, Kanji-kun."

Kanji swung round, wide-eyed. It took several seconds for his expression to settle and his fists to uncurl. "Uh. Naoto. S'up."

Lacking any frame of reference, Naoto had mimicked Rise in calling him _Kanji-kun_._ Naoto__-kun_, implying one thing she hated and another she still half-wished for, had never felt correct - yet applying the diminutive to Kanji seemed natural. But she'd never actually _asked_, and it occurred to her now that perhaps she'd overstepped the mark. Perhaps that had contributed to the problem. If there was one.

"Nothing is up. I simply--" She hesitated, swallowing. "I was wondering, Tatsumi. Is everything all right?"

Kanji frowned.

This was not going well.

She switched tacks. He had been observing the Home Economics classroom. Therefore, something inside intrigued him. Naoto was barely tall enough to see through the window, but she'd memorized the school schedule. "Are you interested in sewing cl--"

"No!" Kanji snapped. "That's--I-I'm not hurtin' nobody, okay?"

_Double negative_, she almost replied. She bit her lip instead, one hand gripping the brim of her cap.

The conversation had been a mistake. Attempting to build a rapport had been an even greater one. Naoto had learned at an early age that brilliance was far more useful than companionship, and reached the only logical conclusion: that she had no need for anyone. Extrapolate from there, and joining the team had clearly been her biggest mistake of all.

Glancing up at Kanji, she realized that conviction and desperation were often difficult to distinguish.

He'd turned back to the window, one hand rubbing the back of his neck. "L-look, there somethin' up or, or what?"

The same question she'd asked originally. She was the one who had caused offence. Kanji was the one who was supposed to be upset. Naoto stared at him, mind casting around for an appropriate response.

Tomorrow was the final day of exams.

She clasped her hands behind her back. "Your mathematics and world history exams are tomorrow. Do you intend to study more?"

He frowned again. "Uh… I-I guess so. Like it'll help," Naoto heard him add under his breath.

"I. I am free this afternoon."

Kanji stared at her. The silence was tangible.

"The exams," Naoto tried. "I could help you to study."

"Uh. Right. Study." Kanji's tone was utterly flat, his cheeks flushed. Clearly he'd remembered their previous attempt. She turned away, feeling wary, guilty and indignant all at once, and decided that this had been far easier in the abstract. Most things were.

A sharp, discomfiting heat prickled over her cheeks. "I-I understand my last attempt at tutoring was--but I'm--" _Trying to fix things_, she almost finished, instead clenching her jaw and taking another deep breath. "I'm sorry. I spoke without thinking. I've never considered you stupid."

"B-but you already--you said sorry for that before," Kanji said, shrugging aggressively. "S'alright, y'know?"

Naoto, briefly astonished by a rush of irrational relief, nodded mutely. For a moment, she considered asking why he hadn't formally accepted her apology, but the urge was quickly suppressed. There was obviously some cue she'd missed.

"Yes. It is," she managed. "So. Studying."

"Uh...yeah. I-I don't think it'll help."

Sukuna-Hikona's buzzing sounded almost comforting. Naoto swallowed again. "Of course. I understand. I apologize for bothering you, Tatsumi."

"No, no!" Kanji's hand came dangerously close to grabbing her shoulder, but he jerked back before she had chance to protest. "Y-you--I, I mean--s'worth a try, right?"

With Kanji, everything appeared to be a question. "Yes. We can start now. According to today's schedule, classroom 1-1 isn't in use."

"Yeah. S-sounds good." He gave a brief, slightly awkward smile.

Kanji was awkward all round, really.

She pushed her questions aside. Priorities. "I'll be more thorough in my explanations this time," she promised.

"Great. Awesome." He paused, head turned away. "And, and it--Kanji-kun, yeah? N-not Tatsumi."

With a tug at her coat collar - her neck felt unusually warm - Naoto nodded, and said nothing.


	20. Chapter 16

_A/N: Story so far: With a little prompting from Souji, Naoto learned to meet Kanji halfway- albeit with an apology he didn't think he needed._

_In this part: Yosuke's a future Risetteer, Teddie gains a new admirer, and Kanji makes a fuzzy confession.  
_

* * *

**October 21st, 2011**

"You know, I didn't think it was possible to do worse than last time," Yosuke lamented, perched on the edge of Kanji's desk. "Maybe I deserve a medal."

"Should go ask Senpai." Kanji didn't add that he might've done better than usual in this set of exams, since it wouldn't be saying much and he didn't know for sure. He'd definitely spent less time staring at a blank piece of paper, though. Studying had suddenly seemed a lot more important when he'd remembered Naoto would be able to see his grades on the school notice-board.

"Yeah, that'll work. I'll get one of those _Talks _again. Like the case isn't more important than stupid exams! Dunno how Souji expects us to get good grades when we're jumping in and out the TV."

Yukiko - who'd probably be top in her year again, or at worst second to Souji - looked up, frowning in thought. "But the last time we went inside was two weeks ago. I thought there was plenty of time to study."

Kanji winced, while Yosuke folded his arms and sighed.

People like Yukiko probably didn't need to study at all. If she did, Kanji definitely couldn't imagine her fidgeting at a desk while muttering curses at her textbooks - which was what he'd done for the whole exam period, so he'd been lucky Naoto had helped him out a second time. He hadn't expected much after the first, but it'd turned out really useful once he'd stopped panicking over looking stupid. Everything sounded more interesting when Naoto said it. So interesting he hadn't always heard the actual words, but at least he'd only caught her frowning at him twice. Next set of exams, maybe he could-

"I don't care about grades anyway!" snapped a voice from the corridor. Chie and Rise swept into the classroom a moment later: the first looking miserable, the second mid-rant. "They never mattered before! The studio hired a tutor and he just gave me top marks on everything."

"Let me guess," Yosuke said. "You guys bombed out too?"

Chie nodded glumly and turned to Yukiko. "I really tried, I promise! That stupid stuff about space mountains threw me off completely. My scores are gonna be awful."

Yukiko nodded back in sympathy. Rise, meanwhile, threw up her hands. "Music classes should be the only ones I take. No - I shouldn't have to take _any_! I already said I'm just gonna get translators and accountants and whatever."

"Like y'get people to write your songs?" Kanji asked, and grunted when she smacked him on the shoulder.

"That's all gonna change when I go back, Kanji-kun." It sounded like a threat. "Senpai already said he thinks I'll do great."

Senpai was one heck of a liar. Rise had already played Kanji one of her new compositions, insisting it was the first step on the road to a new, independent Risette. Afterward, she'd also insisted that he shut up and stop being so _mean_, the song was amazing and it only sounded bad because she hadn't practiced piano much. "Guess Senpai knows best," he mumbled, leaning back in his chair.

"Yeah, but some of us aren't idols. Meaning some of us are gonna end up working at Junes until we're ninety." Yosuke kicked Kanji's desk for emphasis. "Setting up Risette displays in the music department year after year, longing for my lost youth."

Rise winked. "Don't worry, I'll send you a signed poster. 'To Yosuke-senpai: make my displays look great or I'll make Kanji beat you up. Love, Risette'."

"Go beat him up yourself," Kanji told her, and tried not to scowl when she giggled and ruffled his hair.

* * *

The letter didn't look like anything special. Just a white piece of paper, one sentence printed on it in plain black letters: _dont rescue anymore._

Peering over Souji's shoulder, Kanji frowned. "Ain't this just a prank? The kinda stuff that only happens in the movies?" He was surprised whoever sent it hadn't cut the letters out of a book or newspaper. Typing it out on a computer was plain dull.

"I'm pretty sure whoever sent this is serious." Souji refolded the letter and slipped it into his pocket. "Maybe I should tell my uncle."

"Senpai, Dojima-san is trustworthy, but it would be best to keep this to ourselves." Whenever they discussed the case, Naoto dropped her pitch back to its old level. Her boy voice, Kanji called it. "If he were to put you under surveillance, our hands would be tied."

Chie winced. "No kidding. We'd be stuck."

"Besides, if this letter is real," Naoto continued, forehead creased in thought, "what's most important isn't what it says. The envelope was addressed directly to Seta-senpai and delivered by hand to the Dojima residence, home of one of the lead police detectives investigating the case. The text itself is a straightforward warning - but the subtext expresses that the culprit knows who has been interfering with his crimes, and his confidence that we cannot use it to pinpoint his identity."

Man, that was a lot of words. She might not say much about anything else, but when it came to work Naoto could out-talk Rise.

"Knew there was a reason we kept you around," Souji said, and smiled at her.

Kanji really should've been thinking about the letter. Senpai had called them up to the school roof to talk about it, so it had to be major. Unfortunately, doing what he was supposed to had never come easy, especially around Naoto, who he swore had turned a little pink - and who was now glancing sideways at Souji.

Dammit.

"What about…ah, you know, the stuff they do on TV shows." Yosuke held up his palm, waving his fingers. "Getting the paper checked for fingerprints, DNA, that kinda thing?"

"Naoto-kun and I talked about that before the rest of you got here. Unfortunately, I got my own prints all over the letter last night before I knew what it was." Souji grimaced and shook his head. "I should've suspected something when there wasn't a stamp on the envelope."

"You could hardly be expected to do otherwise," Naoto said, quick and firm. Her gaze dropped. "In any case, I no longer have access to the police station crime lab to request testing. And I suspect our culprit has been careful to cover his tracks, or his confidence would be misplaced."

"It already is!" Kanji snapped, punching one fist against his other hand. No point getting all miserable over something they couldn't change, right? "We're gonna beat that asshole down, no worries."

Naoto glanced at him, one eyebrow raised, mouth quirking into what might've been a sort-of-smile. Or possibly that flat look again, the one where her mouth went all thin - but he hoped it was the smile. Souji might be able to talk smart with her and make her blush, but only Kanji was dumb enough to make her look at him like that.

…Crap, he'd zoned out. Yukiko was already midway through a sentence. "…and it's too specific," she was saying. "But how could the killer know so much about us?"

"Teddie's been saying for a while that when we're over there, he senses someone watching us," Yosuke said - then his eyes widened. "Wait. Every time we went to the other side to rescue someone, did we end up on the Midnight Channel ourselves?"

Rise cringed. "Oh man, I really hope not! Bad enough everyone saw me like-you know, like _that_."

Everyone grimaced - except Souji and Naoto, who opened her mouth like she wanted to ask a question, then closed it again and stared at the fence around the roof.

"I haven't heard any rumors about us at school, though." Chie shifted against the ledge and shrugged. "Even the people who I know check the channel haven't said anything. The only gossip I heard was about the people who disappeared."

"Same here," said Souji.

"And that's our two social butterflies out." Yosuke let out a long breath. "We don't even know how that place works, anyway. Even if people are watching, they might not be able to see us there."

Kanji glanced back at Naoto. She was frowning, her knuckles pressed to her lips. "That matter is not a priority at present. There's too little data to go on. It's imperative we keep in mind that the culprit knows who we are." Her hand dropped to her side. "…That will have to be enough for now."

The killer must've sent the letter to throw them off balance. Make out things were reversed, so they'd be busier worrying about themselves than trying to catch him. "Thass right," Kanji agreed. "I mean, freaking out over this crap, that's just what the killer wants us to do, right?"

Souji nodded firmly. "We'll have to wait till the situation changes."

The group fell silent, all of them deep in thought. Naoto didn't look happy. She never really did, but right now, her expression was - Kanji wasn't sure. Uncomfortable, maybe.

"Mind if I change the subject then?" Chie piped up, breaking the silence. "Something a lot more fun. The culture festival's just around the corner - anyone know what our class is doing?"

Souji shrugged. "Aren't they still gathering ideas?"

"Huh. Are they now?" His head tipped back against the fence, Yosuke's thoughtful expression quickly turned horribly smug.

"I know that look," Chie said, cringing. "Yosuke just got hit with a bolt of inspiration - and whatever it is, it'll be out there. I'd bet my lunch on it."

"Must be serious then," he shot back and dodged the fist she aimed at his stomach. "Don't worry, Satonaka, it's a great idea. You'll love it." He glanced at each of the underclassmen in turn. "What about you guys? You're all in different classes."

Kanji shrugged. "Dunno what mine's doing. Not interested in that stuff." For all he knew, they'd voted to jump off the roof. Still wouldn't make a difference - no school event could be anything but dull.

"I, um-I haven't really paid attention," Naoto answered, a little stiffly. "But obviously we have far more pressing concerns and-"

The sentence was lost in Rise's sudden giggle and Souji's yelp as she latched onto his arm. "Senpai, have you decided who you'll be going around the campus with during the festival?" she trilled, smiling her stadium smile. "My schedule's still wide open, you lucky guy!"

"Figures." Chie rolled her eyes. "Quiet the whole time, just waiting for her chance!"

Souji glanced down at Rise's arm, still locked in a death-grip around his. "Guess you'd better pencil me in, then."

* * *

**October 22nd, 2011  
**

Rain hammered against the window all through Geography class, leaving Kanji feeling itchy and off-balance no matter how many times he reminded himself there was nobody to rescue. As bad as it sounded, he almost wished there was. At least he'd have an excuse to smack some Shadows around and blow off steam. Sewing helped, but there were only so many stuffed animals you could fit on one shelf and he'd used up all his bobble eyes and plastic noses on the bunnies last night. And if somebody got thrown in then they'd know what to do next, rather than waiting for the killer to make a move and knowing he was out there laughing at them the whole time.

Kanji blamed this restlessness for what happened after school, when he walked to his locker, realized he'd left his umbrella at home and swore loud enough to scatter a group of terrified fellow first-years. Wasn't bad stress relief, but it didn't solve the problem of him getting drenched on the way home. It also startled Naoto, who was standing nearby pulling envelopes out of her locker.

"Is something wrong, Kanji-kun?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

She didn't scold him for mouthing off - but maybe that was _bad_, maybe she figured he was just some punk and she shouldn't expect any better and-

"Kanji-kun?" Naoto stepped closer, peering up at him with wide blue-grey eyes and a slight frown.

He swallowed and glanced away. Damn, those eyes got him every time. "Uh. No. Sorry. What're all those envelopes?"

Her expression darkened. "Letters."

Well, yeah, that was obvious. Kanji was quickly figuring out that with Naoto, you had to get specific. He was about to ask if they were work letters – crap, what if she had to leave Inaba and go work somewhere else? - when he noticed the heart stickers. The pink and purple envelopes, too. "Oh. They-they're-"

"Letters of affection," Naoto quickly finished, stumbling a little on the last word. A few of the envelopes fell to the floor.

Man, people were still leaving those? Girls had started putting them in her locker only a few days after she started school. Rise had even claimed to see a few boys - then refused to tell Kanji who they were, even though he'd seriously just wanted to help Naoto out by gently suggesting they never, ever do it again.

He grabbed the letters from the floor and held them out. "You lost some."

"Ah. Thank you." Naoto nodded toward the trashcan by the main door. "Please dispose of them there."

"Y-you don't read 'em?"

Already halfway to the trashcan, she swiveled round and shot Kanji a glare. "Absolutely not. I have no interest in entanglements," she added, like the word was stuck to the roof of her mouth. "There are far more pressing matters than professions from people who know nothing about me."

_I know stuff about you_, Kanji almost blurted out. They'd talked, sort of. He'd been to her apartment too. Hell, he'd carried her there and put up with her being a complete pain in the ass the whole way - right after he helped save her life when she tried throwing it away just to prove a point. Most importantly of all, he'd seen her Shadow, so he knew that _entanglements_ part was complete crap.

Thing was, none of it mattered. If he wrote her a letter it'd still end up like the rest. Crushing on someone who probably didn't like you was bad enough; it was even worse when they refused to like anybody at all.

"I thought all this would stop once people knew," Naoto muttered, as she took the last few envelopes from his hand and dropped them in the trash.

The answer came on reflex. "They like you no matter what, it don't make no difference."

Naoto stared up at him again, eyes narrowed with suspicion.

Whoa. Kanji really, really hadn't meant to say that out loud. At least he'd stopped before adding _and I don't care either._ But he honestly didn't, even if Rise or Yosuke or whoever thought he should and even though it seemed kind of weird. They'd never get anywhere, but maybe all those girls had still been onto something when they'd decided to keep chasing Naoto - who was still staring at him. Glaring, almost.

"How could it not?" she muttered.

He swallowed again, hoping his face wouldn't catch fire. "You're-you're still you."

"Do you truly believe-" Naoto stopped short and shook her head. "These, these-admirers. They're delusional."

A heavy silence fell; the really uncomfortable sort that Kanji wanted to fill with something big and important but always spent staring dumbly while trying not to panic. Long moments later, Naoto tipped down her cap and marched stiffly back to her locker.

None of it made sense. Maybe she wanted everyone to treat her differently now they knew - except she looked and talked and acted like she had before. Okay, she didn't force her voice quite as low and she let people call her a girl, but what else had changed? Kanji didn't understand and decided he probably never would, which meant he needed to split before he said something stupid. "The shop. I-I gotta go," he stammered, turning to leave.

"Kanji-kun, wait."

He could pretend he hadn't heard. He was already two strides from the door and Naoto's legs were way too short for her to catch him up.

...Shit, this was stupid. Beating down weird-ass monsters that looked like they'd crawled out a horror movie didn't phase him. Neither did summoning his own, or getting hit by fireballs or sliced at with swords or any of that stuff - and he still didn't have the guts to face someone whose head didn't even reach his chin? No way. He might never work up the courage to tell Naoto what was up, but running away from her was just pathetic.

He turned around. "S'up?" he managed, his voice hitting its highest pitch since age twelve.

Naoto gestured toward the glass doors. "It's raining. Where is your umbrella?"

"Uh, yeah. F-forgot it this mornin'." He shrugged. "I-I'll just run home, ain't a problem."

She paused for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip - then reached into her locker and pulled out a clear plastic umbrella. "I have one," she said, holding it out as proof.

Kanji forced a smile. "Great! Stay dry."

Naoto stared at him. The umbrella remained held out, pointy end dangerously close to his neck.

Wait a sec. Was she saying-dammit, what sort of jerk did she think he was? "No way! I ain't taking it from you, you'll get-"

"I wasn't proposing you _take_ it. I pass near the shopping district on my way home."

"Oh." Deflated, Kanji fell back into confusion. "Y-you don't hafta-I'll be fine, no worries."

Naoto shook her head. "The detour from my normal route will be minor. It isn't a big deal." Then she hesitated, like she was trying to figure something out, and her shoulders tensed. "But if you don't wish to, that's-"

"No! I mean, yeah, I do. Wish to." Kanji flapped an arm at where he remembered the door being. "L-let's go, yeah?"

* * *

The walk home – not _together_, Kanji firmly reminded himself, just close enough to stay dry and in the same general direction – was both nerve-wracking and completely awesome. It was also short, which was probably for the best since Naoto insisted on holding the umbrella. Within five minutes of leaving school, Kanji's back had started aching and he'd become convinced Naoto's arm would drop off from being stretched out so far above her head. Not that he mentioned it. He didn't say much at all, in fact, because everything he came up with sounded stupid and Naoto didn't seem interested in conversation.

She walked him all the way to the store, though. Wouldn't hear otherwise, even after he insisted that he'd be just fine running up the street, seriously, wasn't like he'd drown. Naoto just shook her head and said that was irrational (and, after the third time he tried convincing her to leave, that he was too). Kanji gave up and stayed quietly hunched over until they reached the textiles shop - where he stood now, staring at Naoto and wondering whether he should invite her in, just say thanks, or run and hide in the stockroom.

Ma always liked people coming by. Used to dote on Naoki. And she'd met Naoto before.

Kanji swallowed. "Uh... do, do you-see, my ma, she-and I-" Unfortunately, he'd just blown what little Naoto-related courage he had on walking home next to her (not together, definitely not together). "I-I'll see you tomorrow," he choked out.

"Ah. Yes, tomorrow." Naoto nodded. "Goodbye, Kanji-kun."

He mumbled something close to a farewell and stepped out from under the umbrella, allowing Naoto to lower her arm and wince. She walked away without another word, and didn't look back the whole way through the shopping district. Honestly, Kanji was grateful. Naoto liked things that made sense, and him standing in the rain watching her leave definitely didn't.

Shaking his head and trying not to drip on the front step, he pushed open the shop door. "Yo, Ma, I'm home!"

"That's nice, but is Nao-chan coming in?"

Kanji stopped mid-stride. Teddie was perched on the edge of the counter next to the cash register, wearing a bright smile and a yellow scarf that totally clashed with his hair. "The hell you doin' here?"

"Kanji-chan, please don't shout at your friends," Ma called from the back of the shop.

Teddie gave a reproving nod. "You should listen to your mother."

"Oh, he rarely does." Ma appeared in the rear doorway, arms wrapped around a wide roll of screen-printed cotton. "He could learn a lot from you, Teddie."

"You don't know him," Kanji muttered, grabbing the roll and resisting the urge to beat it against Teddie's head.

"We're friends now," Teddie pointed out. "Tatsumi-san let me stay here so I wouldn't get wet. She's so nice!"

He was a terrible son. He hadn't warned Ma about Teddie. The bear had probably _sparkled_ at her, dammit, and now she was smiling at him and letting him camp out in the frickin' shop. "Such a pleasant young man! I never expected an exchange student to fit in so quickly." She leaned closer to him, and Kanji's world went dark at the edges. "You're a credit to your country, dear."

"And Kanji-chan's a bear-y lucky boy," Teddie said. "Especially since he got to walk home with Nao-chan too."

Wait, how the hell had he seen that? "Dammit, you spyin' on me? It-it ain't-" He was going to finish with _what you think at all_, except he had walked home with Naoto. Or beside her. Near her. Close enough to bump shoulders once, which had been really awkward and also sent Naoto stumbling two steps to the side. But yeah, they'd walked; couldn't deny that. However, since Teddie counted Yukiko helping him up in battle one time as a confession of undying love, chances were he really _had_ gotten the wrong idea. Or the right idea, maybe, if only Kanji had the guts to-

He gave up and settled for the easiest response. "Shut it, Ted."

Ma tipped her head. "Nao-chan? Is she a friend from school?" She frowned. "I remember a Naoto – lovely boy, so well dressed! – but not a Nao-chan."

"See, that's a funny story," Teddie began, before Kanji lunged over the counter and grabbed his scarf.

"I said shut it!" he snapped. "C'mon, we're goin' to Junes!"

"Don't be silly, Kanji-chan," Ma clucked, tapping his hand away. "You'll get drenched. Besides, Teddie's shirt looks very delicate." She sighed. "Junes really don't make anything to last, do they?

"But Ma-"

She shook her head and waved toward the rear doorway. "Take your friend to the living room, Kanji-chan. You can entertain yourselves until the rain eases off."

It wasn't worth arguing. Once Ma decided something, she'd shoot down any protest without blinking and so politely you almost wouldn't mind. With a low growl, Kanji grabbed Teddie's arm and pulled him toward the doorway. "C'mon, you. Stop clutterin' up the shop."

"Thank you, Tatsumi-san!" Teddie chirped as they left.

"It was lovely meeting you, dear," Ma replied.

"Should throw you outside," Kanji muttered, inspecting the air for glittering lights. He kept checking all the way to the living room, where - satisfied that the space around Teddie remained twinkle-free - he flopped down on the sofa and scowled. "Sparkle at my ma and you're goin' through a wall."

Teddie looked hurt. "But she's so kind! She even let me pick out a scarf to keep." He waggled one end, the yellow tassels falling over his fingers and still clashing with his hair. Kanji vowed to swap it for a nice marine blue when he wasn't looking.

"Why're you here, anyway?" he asked, slumping against the cushions. "Ain't Yosuke gonna be looking for you?"

"Probably. This is more important, though." Teddie lowered his voice to something that still wasn't anywhere near a whisper. "I'm getting ready for the culture festival."

"That ain't for another week. And you don't even go to school."

Teddie shot his hand in the air and dramatically pointed a finger at the ceiling. "But! Chie-chan, Yuki-chan, Rise-chan and Nao-chan will all need a charming, dashing young stud to escort them around the many cultural wonders. Which would be me!" He sighed, arm still raised. "I wanted to ask Rise-chan first, but she wasn't at the tofu shop and then it started raining. So I came here instead."

"Rise's out with Senpai today. Not that you stood a chance t'start with." Kanji had heard Rise do enough squealing about how amazing Senpai was to know she only had eyes for one guy, regardless of whether said guy had actually noticed. _And don't you know how __that__ feels_, he thought, stretching his legs out against the floor and staring glumly at his feet.

A blond head appeared at the edge of his vision. "If you're jealous, Kanji-chan, Teddie can show you around too. As long as you don't scare off the girls or touch my fur."

Kanji wasn't sure which was worse: that he'd been interested until that last qualifier (nothing on the planet looked as soft and fuzzy), or that the girls could go feel up Teddie's fur any time they liked (if they were willing to risk it being reciprocated). Then he thought of something even more terrible: Naoto doing just that at the festival if Teddie asked her.

...Like that'd happen. She'd just shoot him. Then she'd spend the day with Senpai instead, provided Rise didn't beat her to death with a poster board.

"Or maybe you can ask Nao-chan to escort you! She'll probably say no after she sees me, but I'll do my best not to be so devastatingly handsome," Teddie promised, jumping onto the sofa and sprawling over an armrest. "Rise-chan says you want to score with her so bad it's going to kill you and I'd feel bear-y bad if that happened."

Kanji threw the TV remote at him. "Shut up and find a show to watch, alright?"

* * *

**October 23rd, 2011**

The kid looked up at him, all wide brown eyes and scruffy dark hair. "Did you bring it, Mister?"

Takeshi Nakagawa, he'd said his name was. Kanji remembered seeing the name in the shop's record book: three addresses, four different customers. Common name, but maybe the kid was from one of the families; Ma would know for sure. "I told you, I ain't a Mister - and yeah, I brought it," he muttered, glancing quickly around the hilltop. He'd already checked the pagoda three times in case someone was hiding there. Looked under the bench and everything. Shit, this had seemed a lot less stupid with Senpai standing next to him. "N-no complaining, okay?"

Takeshi nodded fiercely. With a final unhappy sigh, Kanji unzipped the bag and pulled out a yellow bunny. "Here," he mumbled, and pushed it into the kid's hands.

Kanji wasn't one to brag, but he'd definitely done good work. Copied everything Takeshi could remember about the one he'd lost in the river, right down to the sunflower yellow fur and dark pink rabbit nose.

"It's got an umbrella?" Takeshi's eyes were even wider. "Sana-chan's didn't."

Okay, he might've added a few extras. Couldn't leave the thing without an outfit and umbrellas had been on his mind. "Look, if it ain't good enough, then-"

"No, no! It's amazing!" Takeshi insisted, tilting the doll round in his hands and lifting up its straw hat. "Where'd you get it?"

"Wh-who cares?" Kanji tried his best not to roar. "Why's it matter anyway?"

Takeshi stood on tiptoes and waved the bunny at Kanji's chin. "Because I want one too!"

"Uh. Y-you do?" Man, he hadn't been expecting the kid to _ask_ for one. "W-well, I got one for you, so stop askin' questions, yeah?"

Out of the bag came the second bunny, the pink one with the soccer ball. Putting the studs on its boots had taken a whole hour, but if you gave a fuzzy animal a ball then you had to make sure it could play. Takeshi's face lit up. "Oh, wow, thanks! It's awesome! But where'd you get them?"

There were two ways to answer that question: lie his head off and say he got them at Junes, or fess up and have a five-year-old think he was the world's biggest pansy.

Kanji paused.

Screw it. Like he cared what some brat thought. "…I-I made them."

Takeshi stared at him.

"Why're you-dammit, there some sorta problem with that? If y'think it's creepy then give 'em-"

"Mister, you're so cool!" The kid bounced on the spot, eyes now wide as plates and filled with the sort of awe you saved for somebody who'd just punched out a T-Rex. "Can you make other stuff too? Like other animals, or, or people? My mom, could you make one for her?"

Kanji had been trying to answer him since the first question (of _course_ he could, anything you named). "S-sure," he finally got out, when Takeshi took a breath.

"Okay! I can come back and see you, right? Once I figure out what she wants?"

He nodded dumbly.

"Thanks, Mister! I'm gonna go give this to Sana-chan." Takeshi headed back down the path at high speed, stopping when he reached the tree at the edge of the hill. "Remember, you promised!" he called.

Speaking was still a challenge. Kanji just nodded again and waved goodbye.

Takeshi had said he was _cool_. Specifically, that he was cool because he made bunnies. Not despite, _because_. Kid was probably just being nice, but he figured today was turning out well after all - until Naoto stepped out from behind the tree and everything went horrible again.

"Kanji-kun," she said, like the ringing of a death knell. "Please explain what just transpired."

Mid-catastrophe, Kanji somehow managed to speak. "N-N-Naoto! S'up?"

"Nothing is up. Why were you speaking with that boy?"

"No reason! N-no reason at all. S'all good, just great."

"Why were you speaking with that boy?" she repeated.

Excuses flitted through Kanji's mind_. He's my long-lost cousin. He left his dumb toys at the shop. I'm teaching him how to beat up biker gangs. _He'd never been good under pressure.

"You took two items from your bag and gave them to him. They were brightly colored." Naoto clasped her hands behind her back. "Toy bears, I believe."

Bears? Was she blind? "Dammit, they weren't bears, they-wait, you were spying on me?"

She glared and turned a guilty pink. "Of course not. I was merely _observing."_

"From behind a tree?" Kanji snapped. Naoto opened her mouth but apparently hadn't put words in it first, so he kept going. "And, and how'd you even know I was here? You following me?"

"No! I-I simply happened to be-do _not_ deflect the question, Kanji-kun. Why did you give toy bears to that boy?"

In any other situation, he would've denied everything till his last breath. But this was Naoto, whom he already lied to every moment he was with her and who couldn't tell one animal from another. "Whatever. Was two bunnies. Not bears." Lovingly crafted bunnies that totally looked like they were intended to. She'd probably just been too far away to see.

She nodded. "And why were you giving them to him?"

He'd never crush on a detective again. Too many interrogations. "Nothing bad, alright? It, it's…" Kanji began, then grunted and rubbed the back of his neck. "His friend. He lost her toy bunny in the river and he was cut up about it, so I helped him out."

Naoto studied him silently.

"B-but it was all Senpai's fault. He made me do it."

Naoto stared some more. Kanji began to feel sick.

"Fine! It, it was my stupid idea, alright?" he snapped, jabbing his thumb toward his chest. "Senpai, he just backed me up an' helped me work up the guts to do it, no matter how dumb it was, so stop frickin' staring at me!"

He hadn't meant to freak out like that, but at least it made Naoto's expression change. Now she looked irritated instead of blank. It was still an improvement.

"I wasn't staring," she said flatly. "I was waiting for you to finish."

"Oh. _Oh_." Anger fled in an instant, replaced with the realization that he'd just yelled at her over nothing. "S-sorry, man. Didn't mean to get riled up."

She looked up at him, head tipped slightly to one side. "The dolls. Do you have any more?"

The dumb thing was, he did. After the first one, he'd figured: hell, why not make a second for Takeshi? Might make him feel better over losing his friend's toy. And if he was going to make a second, he might as well make a third, just in case it turned out the kid hated soccer. He sighed. "Y-yeah. One. B-but I ain't-"

"May I see it?"

Kanji stared down at Naoto - steel grey-blue eyes, intent expression, like he was some big mystery - and felt his stomach jump. How was he supposed to say no? Willing his hand not to shake, he reached inside his bag and pulled out the final bunny: pale blue, extra fuzzy, and holding a paintbrush. "There," he mumbled, shoving it toward her.

Naoto leaned closer to inspect the doll – gaze traveling over the little felt beret, the fine hairs on the brush and the paint-splattered shirt.

"It's very elaborate," she said at last. "Who made it?"

Telling the kid had been terrifying enough. Telling Naoto would be far worse. She was smart, tough and no-nonsense, which were all things Kanji desperately wanted her to think he was too, and none of which matched up with sewing stupid dolls.

But Souji already knew and hadn't spilled it. Naoto could be trusted too, right? And since she never laughed at anything, Kanji was fairly certain she wouldn't start with him. "I-I did. I made 'em," he stammered.

She glanced up at him, eyebrows raised. "Oh."

"Whassat mean?" he snapped, jerking his hand away and stuffing the doll back in the bag. "You got a problem with it?"

"No. Why would I?"

"You, you said 'oh'. And y-you know." He gestured at himself, then at the hidden bunny. "Because."

Naoto followed his movements, looking from his face to the bag and back again. Then she shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

_I'M A GUY WHO SEWS BUNNIES WITH BERETS,_ Kanji wanted to scream. "Whatever," he muttered. "Just don't tell nobody, yeah?" He paused. "Uh. Anybody, I mean. Don't tell anybody."

Naoto nodded her head with crisp approval. "Correct. And I won't."

"Th-thanks. And, uh, definitely don't mention it to Rise. Can't keep secrets." Rise wouldn't be the real problem, of course; she'd just tease him for a week or so. Yosuke would keep the joke running for a million years. But Naoto hadn't joked at all, or any of the other reactions Kanji had imagined. She hadn't said all the good stuff that Senpai did, but she knew now and she hadn't laughed and she'd promised not to tell anyone else.

He didn't realize he was smiling until Naoto asked him what was wrong. He quickly changed topics. "So, uh, why're you here?"

Guilt flashed across her face. "Walking."

"And then you hid behind a tree?"

"Yes."

Yosuke had been right. Naoto really was a genius at killing conversations - and Kanji wasn't much good at rescuing them. The two of them stood there in awkward silence for what felt like hours; Naoto staring out over the town, and Kanji glancing between her and the nearest tree.

Surprisingly, she was the first to speak. "After school. I don't-I, I often go to the food court. Occasionally I come here, as I did today." Her gaze remained fixed on the area beyond the fence. "I saw you waiting and didn't wish to bother you, but then that boy arrived, so I decided I would..."

"Spy on me?" he filled in.

As usual, straightening her back and squaring her shoulders made Naoto look way bigger. Kanji thought of cats again. "As I said, I was _observing_." She looked down, one hand moving to rest on her hip. "You. How do you spend your evenings?"

He blinked at her. "I-I dunno. Work in the shop. Get dragged round Junes by Rise, maybe go hang with Souji-senpai." He hesitated. "And I sew stuff."

"Yes, I suppose you must." Her shoe tapped against the ground. "And Rise-san has previously stated that you and her associate outside of school."

"Uh... I guess. Her grandma's shop ain't far and she hates walking to school by herself. Plus she's always bugging me on weekends, I think she gets bored."

Naoto nodded. "Do you spend much time with Seta-senpai?"

What was she getting at? Kanji was no social star. The only two friends he'd had as a kid were Naoki and Yukiko, and they'd drifted away after his old man had died. Hadn't been their fault; nobody wanted to be friends with somebody who kept shoving people away. "Just hang out sometimes. You, you ever talk to him?"

"Not on a personal level." She still hadn't looked back. "I understand he's close to the rest of the team."

Half of Kanji wanted to sigh with relief. The other half was too busy trying to decode Naoto's expression. "Yeah, he looks after us. Uh, listen-there something wrong?" He frowned down at her. "You okay?"

"The case. We should be focusing our energies on that, particularly now that exams are over." Her jaw tightened. "Yet we haven't entered the television in weeks or made any move to catch the killer."

"Eh, you heard Senpai. We gotta wait."

"But that's-there are _other_ things we can do. The others, even Seta-senpai-they all spend their time-" She paused and took a deep breath, the fingers on her hip clenching into a fist. "I worked on the case for the entire summer, Kanji-kun, and at no point did I distract myself with trivialities."

_And you still didn't get anywhere_, Kanji thought. "It ain't all trivial. People gotta do their own thing too, or they go nuts." Or they decided getting themselves kidnapped on purpose was the only way to go. Spend too much time thinking about one thing and it took over your life.

Even before he'd finished speaking, Naoto was already shaking her head. "I don't have that luxury. I should-_we_ should remain focused. The killer may seek out another victim, and the letter proves he knows who we are. "

"But there's other stuff. School, y'know. Home." He rolled his shoulders; the muscles were aching. "Culture festival's coming up, like Chie-senpai said."

"An irrelevant activity," Naoto muttered.

She wasn't listening. She'd already made up her mind and Kanji couldn't think of any more ways to tell her she had it all wrong. "You-you gotta talk to Souji-senpai. I can't change what we do." Didn't think they should, either. "I just hit stuff, man."

No answer. Naoto just looked up at him, this time with an expression he couldn't read at all. "Kanji-kun. Are you-" She paused for several seconds, fingers playing over the collar of her shirt. Her gaze shifted to somewhere near his elbow. "Tell me, have I caused you offense in some manner?"

Kanji frowned down at her. "Uh...what?"

"My presence seems to cause you discomfort." Naoto clasped both hands behind her back before meeting his eyes again. "I upset you previously. Was my apology inadequate?"

Wait. They'd done this part already. She'd found him outside the sewing room, he'd panicked that she'd rumbled him (like it mattered now), she'd said sorry a second time and he'd told her it was fine. Now she was verging on a third. "No, no! S'all okay, no worries." He tried what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Think I'm gonna do better in the exams."

"Oh. Well, that's good." Naoto gave a firm nod. "I should return home. It's late."

Kanji glanced up at the sky. It'd turned a much darker blue since they'd started talking. "Guess so."

"Do you want-" For a moment, it looked like she was about to hold out her hand - but it landed on her hip instead. "Obviously you don't need an umbrella. But it would be sensible to walk together, since it's getting dark."

Kanji blinked, swallowed, and tried not to dwell on the 'together'. "Right. Yeah. Okay."

Neither spoke on the walk back down the hill, which was either really awkward or kind of comfortable. He wasn't certain. Maybe both. The silence lasted until the edge of the park, and again Naoto was the first to speak. "The stitching on the rabbit. It's very precise."

"Uh, thanks. Y-you like sewing?"

"Of course not," she quickly replied, like he'd suggested she enjoyed robbing banks and beating up cops. "But the doll was excellent. Professional." She glanced up at him, eyebrows slightly raised. "You ought to attend sewing club rather than looking through the window."

Dammit. She really had rumbled him. Served him right for hanging around gawking every time the club met. "Nah. Wouldn't work. People, you know how they are, right?" He swept his hand from his head to his waist, taking in the tattoo, the piercings, the scar, and the fact that he had at least ten centimeters on the next tallest boy in the year. "They see this, they already got an idea in their heads."

Her eyes flickered with realization. "Is that what you meant before? About having a problem with the dolls?"

"Yeah," Kanji muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets. "That's why they're a secret."

Naoto paused, gaze fixed back on the path, then shook her head. "They shouldn't be," she told him.


	21. Chapter 17

_A/N: Story so far: The team mourned their grades and received a letter. Meanwhile, Kanji revealed his sewing hobby to Naoto (who showed some unfortunate stalker tendencies) and tried to keep Teddie away from his mother (who showed a fondness for sparkling exchange students)._

_In this part: CULTURE FESTIVAL CULTURE FESTIVAL CULTURE FESTIVAL_

_At least, the first section. Mostly setup, covers the sign-ups and first day. Expect three chapters and two interludes in total. As usual, there will be alterations/additions - some more major than others.  
_

* * *

**October 27th, 2011**

Souji paled. "Tell me you didn't."

Yosuke just grinned.

It wouldn't last long. Chie and the others would find out he'd signed them up for the stupid pageant - probably in about fifteen seconds, with all the gossiping in the corridors - and flay him limb from limb. Then they'd start on Kanji and Souji too, just for being unlucky enough to breathe the same air. "S'finally happened," Kanji muttered, shaking his head. "You turned into Teddie."

"No way," Yosuke shot back, far too quickly and firmly for it to sound casual. "He was way more excited about this than me! I just meant it as a joke."

"Which is so much better." Elbows on his desk, Souji pressed the heels of his hands against his forehead. "Yosuke, _why_?"

"Beauty pageant, guys. _Beauty_. _Pageant_. C'mon, am I the only red-blooded male here?"

Kanji sank down in the nearest chair. No high-pitched yelling or pounding feet from the corridor yet, but it was just a matter of time. "Only one with a death wish. Y'signed up the three girls in the school who are guaranteed to kick your ass."

"Four," Yosuke corrected.

Kanji blinked.

Wait a sec.

"Three," Souji was saying, somewhere far away. "Naoto'll never do it."

Holy crap. He'd signed up _Naoto_?

"Sure she will! Rise'll make her. In fact, I guarantee Rise'll be happy I signed her up. Idols love being on stage!"

Naoto, who freaked out at people knowing her measurements and, if Rise was right, pulled some sort of arcane magic every morning to hide them. Kanji had blocked out the precise details of her theories; the nosebleed would've lasted weeks.

"So, you only need to worry about being shot, kicked in the balls and set on fire."

He'd never actually looked at the notice board, and Souji had been too busy trying to pry an explanation out of Yosuke to fill in all the details. He'd just assumed…dammit. Stupid Hanamura, stupid pageant, stupid Naoto who Kanji would have to watch stand on a stage wearing a-

"I swear, Souji. You could have the hottest girl in the world sitting in your lap and you'd start complaining your leg was asleep. You should be _thanking_ me."

…What _would_ the entrants be wearing? Dresses? Because that would be so, so weird. But also really cute. And weird.

Wait. He was a guy. Manly man. Supposed to like that crap. If he only liked Naoto in guy's clothes, then maybe all that stuff he'd refused to think about any more actually made a difference. Maybe his Shadow really _had_ been about guys and girls instead of sewing dolls and he was just-

"See, Kanji gets it! Zoned out soon as he realized he'll get to see Naoto-kun." A hand gripped his shoulder. "Though she might not be dressed as a boy this time."

"Shut it!" Kanji snapped, smacking the hand away.

"And he's back!" The smirk would've been unbearable if Yosuke hadn't also been clutching his fingers and massaging the knuckles. Served him right. "Thought we'd lost you there, Tatsumi."

"He'd be the lucky one. I can't believe you'd-" Souji stopped and shook his head. "No, I can."

Kanji scowled. "I don't give a crap about the pageant," he lied. "Just pisses me off that Senpai and I are gonna get lumped in with you."

"Ah, the girls can drop out if they hate it that much." Yosuke grinned again; Kanji couldn't decide if it looked wolfish or perverse. "And who knows, maybe some of them'll take part."

"Come back down to earth, Hanamura," muttered Souji. "Here's what's really going to happen: Chie and Yukiko are going to destroy you."

Kanji nodded grimly. "Thass right. Little bits of ya flying out the classroom windows." Five minutes with Chie and the staff would be sweeping up Yosuke-pieces for a week, provided Yukiko hadn't already Agidyned the schoolyard.

The grin didn't fade. With the unshakable confidence of someone who'd forgotten just how terrifying girls could be, Yosuke winked and gave Kanji a thumbs-up. "Trust me, it'll all be worth it."

* * *

"You better have a _damn_ good explanation for this!"

Toned muscles didn't make a person any taller - and tough as she was in a fight, Chie was still pretty small. Kanji therefore considered it even more impressive that, when sufficiently pissed off, she could scare the living shit out of him.

Yosuke clasped his hand to his chest, eyes wide with an innocence that even Teddie would've labeled unconvincing. "For what?"

"The beauty pageant, moron!" Chie edged closer, trapping him against one of the rooftop air ducts. "You signed us up without even asking!"

"Hey! Why do you automatically blame me?"

"Past experience," muttered Yukiko - who, in her own quiet, polite way, was just as terrifying as Chie. Maybe more. The two girls stepped closer as one, fists clenched, and Yosuke's wide-eyed look swerved from feigned ignorance to mild panic.

Chie was leaning forward on her tiptoes, dangerously close to his face. "You are in _so_ much trouble!"

"Whoa, whoa!" He raised his palms defensively. "I-I mean, if you don't wanna do it, just say no, right? L-like it was just a joke!"

"We wouldn't be so pissed if we could do that!"

Damn. No wonder they were mad. "You can't?" Kanji asked.

Yukiko turned to him and shook her head. "Kashiwagi-sensei's running the pageant. Once somebody's been signed up, they can't back out." Her expression turned dark. "No matter _what_."

"That's right," Rise said, with a firm nod. "Word is that the contest won't go ahead without at least three entrants - and I bet Kashiwagi's been waiting for this all year. Her name's first on the sign-up sheet, right above Ohtani."

"Seriously?" Yosuke winced and ran a hand through his hair. "Man, I didn't even read the other names…or the fine print…"

"So it _was_ you!" Chie shrieked.

"Oh crap! Listen, Chie, I-"

"Idiot! I can't believe you'd do that! Of all the stupid, selfish, immature-" Chie must've run out of adjectives, because the rest of the sentence turned into a wordless, furious growl that made Kanji think of an angry wild bear. Yukiko took over her tirade, at a volume too low for Kanji to hear but with a lot more gesturing.

Yosuke shrank back further and almost tripped over the air duct. "C'mon! I-I-don't get-"

For a fleeting moment, Kanji almost felt sorry for him. But the guy had brought on himself, and Naoto was probably just as pissed at him as Chie and Yukiko were, meaning she'd be pissed at Kanji by extension. She didn't _look_ mad - she'd been watching the argument with the sort of expression Kanji usually reserved for Tuesday morning's Physics class - but her posture was even stiffer than usual. The sole exception was her hand, which was tapping against her hip every time he glanced over.

"Hey, Senpai," Rise piped up. "Do you _want_ us to be in the pageant?"

Rise had a knack for asking questions which had no right answer. At Kanji's side, Souji took a deep breath. "Well…"

"Of course he does!" Yosuke jumped in. "Everyone knows how popular Yukiko is round here." He gestured toward Yukiko, who still looked vaguely murderous. "Amagi Challenge, right? And on top of that, we have an idol and a Detective Prince."

Naoto's hand tapped a little faster. Kanji thought he heard her _tsk_.

"And what's the point," Yosuke continued as he dodged neatly around Chie's left side, "of having a beauty pageant if all these incredible heroines aren't going to take part?"

Souji leaned toward Kanji, voice lowered to a murmur. "You were right. He really has turned into Teddie."

Chie, who'd been quietly staring at Yosuke as he spoke, kicked back into life and grabbed his sleeve. "Hey! Where do _I_ fit in?"

"Uh-you, y-you're…" he stuttered, trying to pry her fingers off his jacket while glancing frantically around the group, "you're-you know, right?"

Whether or not he honestly expected her to get it - or if there was anything to actually get - Kanji wasn't certain. What _was_ clear from Chie's expression was that Yosuke might as well have shrugged and told her he'd rather see Hanako Ohtani up there instead, because she looked primed to explode. "Well, excuse me for not fitting in, you- you _jerk_!"

Both of Yosuke's hands flew to cover his crotch. "N-no! I-it was just-hey, Kanji! You want the girls to be in it too, don'tcha?"

Two pairs of angry female eyes - plus one pair that'd been fixed on Senpai and another that made him lightheaded to look at - turned upon Kanji. He swallowed hard and summoned the quickest and easiest lie he could. "I-I ain't interested in that stuff."

Yeah, _right_. Of course he was interested; who wouldn't be? He just couldn't tell if it was a happy sort of interest or a 'this is freaking me out' one - something he would've tried to explain if it wouldn't have ended with him being shoved off the roof. "So, you-all'a you can do whatever."

With a solemn nod, Yosuke turned toward Naoto. "Naoto-kun, Kanji-kun says he _really_ wants you to be in it."

Naoto blinked at him. "Wh-what?"

Kanji felt his stomach wrench itself into a spectacular knot. "I-I-I didn't say that!"

"And Souji's just dying to see our lovely ladies up there too! Right, partner?

"I just want everyone to know," Souji said, his voice flat and his arms crossed over his chest, "that I had nothing to do with this."

"Me neither!" Kanji tried not to yell, hoping Naoto was paying attention.

"Well, if Senpai wants to see us, I guess we've gotta do it!" said Rise, with a cheerful shrug and no sign that she'd listened to the conversation. "If there are people looking forward to seeing me, I might as well put on a show for 'em. My agency doesn't need to know."

"Th-that's right! See, Risette's got the right idea!" Yosuke sounded high-pitched and slightly desperate. "Teddie can't wait either!" He paused. "Actually, I think he was more excited than anyone. He's planning on sneaking in to watch."

Sighing, Chie shoved her hands deep in her tracksuit pockets. She'd stopped threatening to beat Yosuke to death in favor of frowning at her feet; maybe his explanation had worked after all. "So, Ted's behind this too. I should've known."

"If we can't refuse, I suppose there's no sense in arguing the point." It was the first time Naoto had spoken, and she sounded a lot calmer than Kanji had expected. "But for someone like me to get up on stage…" She shook her head. "Perhaps there's a way I could take it up with the school authorities…"

Someone like her. Someone awesome?

…No, no. Someone professional, Kanji decided, someone kind of reserved - and someone who he really, really needed to be in that pageant, no matter how many tiny shards his mind would break into while watching her. "I-I don't think it's a problem at all."

He didn't realize he'd spoken out loud until Naoto stared at him.

…Screw it, no reason to stop now. Couldn't get any worse. "I-I mean, just do it, y'know? Seriously!"

"_Dude_," Yosuke said, almost admiringly. "Your blood's boiling even more than usual!"

Boiling was right. If Naoto didn't stop fricking gaping at him, Kanji would burst into flame starting with his face - though judging by the crimson creeping over hers, she might just beat him there. She stared a few moments more before swiveling away and tugging down the brim of her cap.

Rise giggled. "Silly Kanji! Just tell Naoto-kun you wanna see her on the stage." In what looked like a single motion, she skipped forward, latched one arm around Naoto's shoulders and tugged the cap up again. "She'll totally do it. Then all four of us will be in the pageant!"

"Hey, wait a minute!" Chie protested, eyes wide.

Yukiko whipped around with a look of sheer horror. "B-but we never said-Rise-chan!"

Naoto, who'd been simultaneously trying to wriggle out of Rise's grasp and make words come out when she opened her mouth, finally formed a sentence. "Wh-what are you saying!"

This. This was it. Kanji's single chance. He _needed_ her to be in this pageant. It was the best way he had of knowing for certain whether he liked Naoto not only as a boy, or as a girl who'd claimed to be one, but as herself. He cleared his throat. "Um, I beg you. P-please be in it. If you do, my-" He hesitated. "My, uh, doubts will finally be cleared."

Rise - left arm still around Naoto's shoulders and the right now holding her by the waist - winked at him. Unfortunately, Naoto just kept staring.

Figuring that he'd been pretty composed up until now, at least by his usual standards, Kanji gave up and went for gusto. "C'mon!" he yelled, fists clenched. "Make me a man!"

In his defense, it'd sounded a lot more impressive in his head.

Silence fell - or would've, if not for Naoto's quiet sound of distress and all the other students on the roof whispering as they turned to gawk at the team. Still, Kanji swore he could hear each second tick by. He also swore he heard Yosuke snicker, and vowed to beat the crap out of him when Naoto was done staring. Finally, she blinked again - twice, this time - and her expression shifted from blank to utterly confused. "Doubts? What are you talking about?"

Shit, like she hadn't figured all this out? 'Make me a man' had been his last resort; the next step was tattooing love poetry on his forehead and smacking her on the nose with a bunch of roses. "L-look, just do it, dammit! I mean, you're an ace detective, aren't ya?"

"Wh-What does that have to do with a beauty pageant!" Naoto spluttered.

Kanji had run out of both words and ideas. He glared at her, breathing hard.

Naoto glared back.

The school bell rang.

"Well, that's that!" Rise chirped, as she unwrapped herself from Naoto's shoulders. "So we're all in the pageant, right?"

"Whatever. I'm not gonna be late for class because of-just-ugh!" With one last scowl at Yosuke, Chie stormed past Kanji and grabbed Naoto's arm. "C'mon, Naoto-kun."

The team quickly dispersed: Naoto with an ineffective yelp as Chie dragged her through the stairwell door, Yukiko with a look of general confusion, and Souji with a sympathetic shake of his head. Kanji figured Rise would follow. He was sorely disappointed.

"You almost had it, Kanji-kun!" she exclaimed. "The 'make me a man' part was kinda off and I don't know _where_ you were going with that ace detective line, but the rest was great!"

"You-that-" He stopped, took a deep breath, and forced his fists to unclench. "...Damn, Rise. That was horrible even for you."

She pouted, hands on hips. "I wasn't being _horrible_! You just weren't saying what you meant."

"You gotta let me take things at my own pace!"

"I _have_ been! See, I'm going gray waiting for you!" Rise tugged at a loose curl of hair just above her ear. It looked the same reddish-brown as the rest. "Nobody wants old lady idols. Look, I gotta go to class, Kanji-kun, but you and me are gonna talk later, okay?"

It sounded like a threat. Knowing Rise, it was intended as one - and as he watched her dash off to the stairwell, Kanji shivered. No way was he going to class now. Composition sucked at the best of times, and after a lunch spent trying to spill his feelings to the most oblivious person he'd ever met, it would just be twisting the knife. He walked over to Yosuke - still standing by the AC duct and frowning at his feet - and flopped down beside him. "You goin' inside?"

"I guess." The frown deepened. "Man, I didn't think she'd be that mad."

"Who, Naoto?"

"What? No, I meant Satonaka. I seriously couldn't tell if she was about to yell at me or burst into tears." He kicked his heel against the duct, rattling it against Kanji's back. "Chie doesn't _do_ that. She must really not wanna be in the pageant."

Kanji hadn't been able to see Chie's expression that well from where he'd been standing, but she'd sounded pissed off rather than upset. He shrugged. "Sounded like you didn't think she'd fit in anyway."

"Hey, that's not what I meant! It's not like she doesn't-it's-she's just different. And she's also totally overreacting." Sighing, Yosuke pushed himself away from the duct. "But she'll get over it."

"Y'think?"

"Yeah. Chie's always pissed at me over _something_." His hand landed heavy on Kanji's shoulder. "Be grateful Naoto's not like that, dude."

* * *

**October 28th, 2011**

Revenge came swiftly, of course.

There was no way the girls would let Yosuke off the hook; Kanji had known that since first hearing about his latest poor life decision. Yukiko had even muttered something about payback on her way out the school gate last night, with a glare that sent her usual group of admirers scattering. The only person who hadn't seen the inevitable was Yosuke himself - who was spending his lunch break storming around in the first-floor corridor, ranting about how completely unfair everything was and insisting there was no way he was putting on a dress (and no, Rise, it didn't matter _how_ pretty he'd look, he didn't want to look pretty at all).

"Why wouldn't he?" Rise muttered, arms folded, after her final failed appeal to Yosuke's feminine side. She'd taken refuge in Classroom 1-3 while Souji tried to calm him down. "I don't see why Yosuke-senpai can't just have fun with this!"

Kanji didn't either. If you were stuck doing something, you might as well do it properly. Besides, he'd tailored enough dresses to know girls definitely had the edge in clothing. Wasn't like he'd be wearing anything ugly. Rise had even promised to help him with his hair and makeup, and anybody who'd worn a different hairstyle on each of her album and single covers - or at least on the twenty-six he'd counted in the Junes music department - had to know their stuff. The only real challenge would be finding an outfit at such short notice.

Well, okay. Pulling off 'pretty' might be tough too. "You sure I'll look good?"

"Of course!" Rise insisted, like helping burly guys cross-dress was scribbled somewhere in an idol's job description. "I'm an expert at this stuff, it's gonna be awesome. I can't wait to see Senpai!"

Kanji frowned. "You can't wait to see your boyfriend in a dress?"

"He isn't my _boyfriend_, Kanji-kun. Not yet, anyway," she added with a smirk. "But I'll make sure your boyfriend shows up too."

"Don't care if she does," he lied. He'd developed a knack for that lately - or so he'd thought, until Rise's short-lived smirk turned completely skeptical.

"Yeah you do! You wanna see her, and that's fine. I'd be worried if you didn't."

Kanji shifted in his seat. "I-I just wanna figure out-you know. If it's the same no matter what. Boy or girl or, or whatever."

In retrospect, Naoto's secret getting spilled should have solved everything. She was really a chick, meaning Kanji hadn't been crushing on a guy, meaning he could once again take pride in his amazing heterosexuality. Simple. Except Naoto was a guy in a lot of the ways that counted, a girl in plenty of others and somewhere in-between for all the rest. Basically, Naoto was Naoto, and Kanji was as confused as ever.

He swallowed. "It has to be the same. Because if it isn't, then there's something up, right?"

Rise studied him for a moment, eyes slightly narrowed - then shrugged. "I dunno if it matters, Kanji-kun."

"But you-you said it did, before! You said it was okay now Naoto's a girl."

She waved his protest aside. "I say a lot of stuff. Mostly to see your face when I do. I just mean it'd be easier now 'cause people won't give you a hard time for liking boys." She shrugged again. "Perceptions count. We ought to know that better than anyone."

She had a point. Kanji had never figured out how to change himself to what people wanted, so he'd pretended to be something they definitely didn't, to the point where he'd almost forgotten how to stop. Rise had fallen into almost the same trap - not because she didn't know how to remake herself, but because she was too damn _good_ at it. She'd forced herself to fit, he'd pushed everyone away. Naoto had done both. Kanji doubted it'd worked out any better for her.

Fact was, people thinking Naoto was a girl instead of a guy somehow changed everything - even for him. _Especially_ for him. Kanji just really wished it didn't.

He closed his eyes and let out a long breath. Shit, he hated thinking about this stuff.

"I think you like Naoto-kun no matter what," Rise said firmly. When Kanji opened his eyes again, she was leaning over his desk, palms flat against the surface. "And I wanna know why."

"Uh-what?"

"Sure, she's totally cute, I thought that back in the summer. Gets almost as many letters as me and Yukiko-senpai, too. But they're mostly from girls, and girls _do_ that stuff. We're nuts sometimes." Rise tipped her head. "What's the deal with you?"

Kanji hesitated. His first instinct was to insist Rise go get bent - except it was a really good question and one he'd never actually answered. Had to figure out what you liked about someone, right? He cleared his throat. "Uh. Sh-she's really clever. Knows stuff."

Rise hummed approvingly. "Okay, good start. What about looks? Gonna have to tell her that, she'll wanna know."

Kanji was pretty certain Naoto would shoot him for saying he liked her hat, never mind waxing lyrical about all the ways she made him go gooey and dizzy and other adjectives that made him sound like a twelve year-old girl. "She looks…nice."

"_Nice_? C'mon, Kanji-kun, be more specific!"

"I-I dunno. Dresses smart. The ties, y'know." He could already feel his cheeks heating up. "Her eyes, too."

Rise leaned further forward. Her grin had turned shark-like. "What about them?"

"Uh... they're b-blue, and- dammit, quit needlin' me!"

"Like I said, you're gonna have to get more specific." Frowning slightly, Rise shook her head. "Maybe the pageant'll help. Make sure you get a good look at her, okay?"

The pageant _had_ to help. Kanji was counting on it to answer the first of his two big questions - whether he liked Naoto no matter what - though part of him couldn't help thinking he should be able to figure that out himself. Another part wondered if it mattered at all. It only seemed vital when he was panicking about himself - which he'd been doing way too much the past few days. No matter what he'd said to his Shadow, some of the mess in his head was still about boys and girls. Still, he couldn't help noticing that when he'd tried to separate out the things he liked about Naoto, neither of those words had seemed that important at all.

* * *

The gossip about the pageant had died down by the end of school, along with the jibes at the three lovely 'ladies' entering it. Most of them had been directed at Yosuke, partly because he made the most noise but mostly because nobody had the guts to say anything to Kanji's face. A few guys had started ragging on Souji, but soon quit when they realized the girls seemed to like him more than ever. Kanji had heard a group of them whispering and giggling as Souji passed the lockers; something about sensitive boyfriends being the best, and why couldn't all guys be just like Seta-senpai?

After that, there'd been a lot less snickering and a lot more boys staring nervously at the pageant signup sheet. He hadn't figured any of them would be dumb enough to actually add their names, but the crowd still gathered around the notice-board ten minutes after final bell suggested otherwise. Curious, he peered over the small sea of heads as he walked past. It was hard to be sure - he couldn't make out the writing from this distance, especially not while he was moving - but he swore there were two new names scribbled at the bottom of the sheet.

Poor bastards. But hey, a few extra contestants might be nice, they'd at least give Yosuke a few extra bodies to hide behind on stage so he wouldn't keep-

"Uh…hey, Kanji?"

Kanji snapped his gaze away from the board and looked straight ahead. A few meters down the corridor, Naoki Konishi was leaning against the wall, schoolbag in hand and looking very nervous.

Crap.

He and Naoki had been friends years ago. Their mothers had known each other well, in a neighborly sort of way, so when they weren't playing in the street they divided their time between the liquor and textiles shops. Kanji remembered freaking out during one of Naoki's attempts to hide bugs in his sister's schoolbag - they'd looked _way_ too much like tiny cockroaches - and how much Saki had yelled at them both after catching him. Then Kanji's old man had died, two months before the start of middle school, and nothing had seemed worth the effort. Now Saki was gone too and Naoki probably needed a friend more than ever, but Kanji had been too chicken to try bridging the gap.

He cleared his throat. "Uh. Hey. How's it going?"

"Not bad. You?"

"Great," he replied, trying desperately to think of something to say that wasn't _sorry your sister's dead_.

Naoki didn't seem certain what to say either. "So…um." Moments passed in difficult silence, before he finally shook his head and laughed. "Wow, this is awkward."

Wasn't funny really, but it broke the ice. Kanji grinned down at him. "Yeah. Never been good at small talk."

"I think you got worse. How's your mom?"

"Good. Workin'. Yours?"

Naoki shrugged. "She's fine. She misses Saki."

"Yeah. I'm sorry, man." Kanji clasped a hand over his shoulder, a little more heavily than he'd intended - but Naoki still smiled. "So…uh, what's up?"

The smile vanished. "I saw your name. On the board. The pageant."

"Oh. Yeah. Hanamura got me roped into it, can't back out."

Looking almost embarrassed, Naoki shifted his gaze to the crowd around the board. "Um…there were a lot of-people were talking about you for a while. Earlier in the year. Saying you were-that you didn't like girls." He hesitated. "Is-is it true?"

Kanji tried not to wince. Word must've spread even quicker than he'd guessed. Maybe people had seen him hanging around with Naoto - or more likely, they'd seen him on the Midnight Channel. He had no idea what his Shadow had said, but it hardly mattered; seeing a guy prancing around a bathhouse in a fundoshi would've been enough evidence for anyone. And not only did he still not have a firm answer to the question, Kanji hated that Naoki was asking it at all. "Would it matter if it was?" he asked, forcing his voice to stay steady.

Naoki paused for a long moment, then shook his head. "Not really."

"…Good," Kanji managed, letting out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "People say a lotta dumb stuff."

"Yeah, they do. Sorry. I-I kept meaning to ask you when you came back to school, but-" Naoki gave a sheepish shrug. "You know."

"Yeah."

Silence fell again, but at least this one was a little less awkward - and if they hung out more, it'd get easier, right? If Kanji had a chance of fixing things between them, he owed it to Naoki to try. "Listen, you, uh, wanna go get something to eat? Aiya or someplace?"

"Actually, I'm meeting Souji-senpai there later. But I bet he wouldn't mind if you came too, you guys hang out all the time. We're meeting around eight, if you're free?"

Figured. Senpai got along with everyone. Probably a better friend to Naoki than Kanji had ever been. It wasn't really stealing, either, not when they hadn't been close for years.

Knowing that didn't stop it hurting. Kanji shook his head and tried to smile. "Nah…s'cool. Gotta watch the store then. Kinda late to eat."

"Yeah...we were _supposed _to head there straight after school, but he said he had to go see Shirogane-kun first." Naoki shrugged, looking a little annoyed. "Something about giving her a letter."

Kanji's first thought was of the letters in Naoto's locker. He swallowed, turning away. "Right. 'Course. Guess I'll catch you another time, yeah?"

Naoki smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that. Later, Kanji-kun."

Hanging out with Naoto wasn't stealing, either. She probably liked talking to somebody as smart as her. Besides, Souji made time for everyone on the team; leaving her out would be wrong. Nothing to worry about. Kanji kept telling himself this all the way back to the store, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that whatever that letter was, Naoto wouldn't be throwing it away.

* * *

**October 29th, 2011**

"I don't think Yosuke meant any harm, Kanji-kun. He just…" Yukiko trailed off with a vague gesture that Kanji interpreted as _can't open his mouth without sticking his foot in it. _Which everyone already knew, so it was no consolation.

"Can't stop being a jerk," was Chie's grumbled finish. "Sometimes I think it'd be better if we just let a Shadow eat him."

Yukiko frowned for several moments, like she was searching really hard for an argument - then sighed. "Probably."

"I mean, c'mon! Kind and fragile! _Fragile_!" Chie threw up her hands. "What's he planning to do, snap her in half?"

"Probably just doesn't want her to kick his ass," Kanji muttered. He hadn't put much thought (or any, really) into Yosuke's imaginary ideal girlfriend, other than dimly noting that she didn't sound much like anyone he knew - and especially not the girls he hung around. The only one who couldn't kick Shadow ass by herself was Rise, and she made up for it by causing trouble outside the television instead. Besides, somebody didn't need to be delicate for you to want to protect them, because Naoto wasn't at all, just little, and Kanji still-

No. No way was he getting started on that. He'd pissed her off enough last time.

"I don't get it. It's not like I beat him up all the time," Chie said, her face flushed. "A couple of kicks, that's all, and only when he's being-ugh, you know."

"Well, people like different things, don't they?" Yukiko offered. "Like Kanji-kun wants somebody mysterious. Um, who isn't Souji," she quickly added. "I'm sure Yosuke was wrong about that."

"Damn right he was!" Why the hell had Senpai picked Kanji anyway? Everyone knew he'd only gone on the girls' side to make up numbers. Could've just said he'd rather date a chick. Instead he'd fueled Yosuke for another week - and hell, Kanji didn't even blame Hanamura, that was just how the guy was, but Souji should've known better. That said, Kanji should've known not to start describing the sort of person he liked without thinking it through first. Yosuke's sweet and breakable girl had at least been vague - but someone mysterious, who looked strong but had a lot more going on underneath? Real subtle.

"Although Souji-kun _is_ mysterious," Yukiko continued. She smiled dreamily. "_And_ strong."

Chie rolled her eyes. "Okay, Yukiko, we get the idea. It's pretty clear that Kanji-kun didn't mean him."

"Oh. Then who did he mean?"

Figuring things would only get worse from here, Kanji quickly made his excuses. "Sorry, gotta go," he mumbled, already on his feet and moving toward the door. The last thing he saw on his way out was Chie leaning over and tapping a puzzled-looking Yukiko on the nose.

No point heading back to his classroom. The café might've sucked, but at least it was an interesting idea. Almost interesting enough to distract him from the fact that Souji and Naoto were now hanging out together and blowing off other people to do it.

…Dammit, when'd he become such a frickin' whiner?

Around the time Naoto rolled into town, probably. She'd once mentioned that Sukuna-Hikona had something to say about everything she did, and that most of it wasn't flattering - but still, Kanji kind of envied her. Life would be a lot simpler if Take-Mikazuchi kicked his ass every time he started feeling sorry for himself. The big guy always butted in during fights, so why not for all the other important stuff?

Concentrating hard, trying to call Take-Mikazuchi out of hiding, Kanji barely registered the displays as he stormed down the corridor. Aside from a few wearing weird costumes - the ruffles were neat, but the baggy shorts weren't flattering at all - he didn't really notice the other students either. He definitely didn't notice Naoto standing by a table full of pots, at least not until he walked into her and knocked her to the floor.

He lurched forward. "Oh, crap! Naoto, I-you okay?"

"I'm fine." She grabbed her hat from the floor and tugged it back down on her head. "But you should've-"

Kanji, caught in a moment of mad guilt, interrupted by grabbing her hand and hauling her upright. Naoto rewarded him with an off-balance kick to the shins. "Ow! What was that for?"

"People are _staring_," she hissed. It wasn't even true. Admittedly, everybody nearby had looked over when Naoto hit the deck (probably because she'd squeaked), but nobody seemed particularly interested now.

"Was just tryin' to help," he muttered, trying to swallow his irritation. Dammit, he'd knocked her down, why wouldn't he help her up?

Naoto glared at him. "And it was entirely unnecessary."

Each stared at the other for several moments. Kanji was still trying to think of a response that didn't involve scowling - and deciding he really hated the word _unnecessary_ - when he realized he'd forgotten to let go of Naoto's hand.

Judging by her sudden furious blush, she'd noticed too. Kanji jerked his arm back, releasing her hand just in time to avoid pulling her with him. "S-sorry," he choked.

"I-y-you-" Naoto managed - then took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "We're blocking the corridor."

"Yeah. Right." Kanji wasn't equal to more than one-word sentences. Stepping closer to the wall was difficult enough, since he had to tell his feet to do it three times before they actually moved.

Naoto folded her arms. "Why aren't you assisting your class with their break room?"

"Th-they got enough people. And s'boring." A break room took no effort whatsoever. Even the snacks had come straight from Junes, which was a total waste when there were so many things that would've worked. Cookies, melon bread, little iced cakes…maybe even some onigiri, as long as people didn't drop rice everywhere. He grimaced. "They didn't even make the food."

"Perhaps they didn't know how. Cooking seems to be a rare talent among our colleagues. Even Seta-senpai's abilities are questionable." She paused. "But-the food you brought, before I returned to school. I remember it being very good."

Kanji had been wondering how the hell Naoto would know anything about Souji's cooking, but the question suddenly stopped being important. "Th-thanks," he managed. Naoto shrugged it off and he could feel his cheeks burning, so it seemed best to change the subject. "So, uh, what's your class doing?"

"Assisting Class 2-3 in their production of _Romeo and Juliet…and Hamlet_." Naoto shook her head. "Illustrating the problem with decisions made by committee."

Hamlet. Kanji vaguely remembered a movie in English class. It'd been full of guys in tights and ruffled shirts and hadn't made much sense even with subtitles. "Huh. That why people are in costume?"

She nodded. "They should be rehearsing, but we're behind schedule. Hamlet has been arguing with Kashiwagi-sensei for the last fifteen minutes. Something about the cross-dressing pageant." As she finished the sentence, her gaze dropped, and she began studying the floor.

Kanji frowned. "S'up?"

Naoto lifted her head, meeting his eyes with a look similar to the one she'd worn when he'd caught her spying on him on the hill, except a lot more worried. "The pageant. It was Rise's idea."

Like that was news. In a changing world, Kanji could think of only a few constants: the rolling of the tides, the rising and setting of the sun, and Rise Kujikawa making trouble every chance she got. "Yeah, I know. Chie-senpai said so. Ain't blamin' you."

"Of course not. I had no involvement in this. I suspect Hanamura-senpai also acted alone."

Which, Kanji decided, was Naoto's way of saying she didn't blame him either. "Thass right."

Glancing away, she cleared her throat. "I could-I-I was considering talking to the school board. I could present your case too."

He blinked. "You-you wanna get me outta it?"

"Two petitioners would carry more weight." The response was smooth, but she still hadn't looked back at him. "It's no greater effort."

"Uh…th-thanks. Seriously. But my attendance record's a mess, it ain't worth rocking the boat." Kanji slammed his fist into his palm with what he hoped looked like confidence. "So I'm just gonna do the best job I can!"

Naoto hesitated for a moment, eyebrows quirked up in surprise - or as close to surprise as she ever got. "That's…certainly enthusiastic."

"Well...y'know. The girls promised I'd look, uh, nice." Good thing he'd caught himself before _pretty_. "Rise, she's doing makeup and stuff."

He'd sort of expected Naoto to give him one of her looks, but she just nodded and clasped her hands behind her back. "I'm sure you'll do well." She paused, her gaze shifting to somewhere near his left kneecap. "Kanji-kun…what Rise-san and, and Hanamura-senpai said yesterday. Regarding the girls' pageant."

_Uh-oh_, thought Kanji.

"W-why would my participation concern you?"

This was the sort of question he'd need three hours of silence and five sheets of paper to properly answer. His two main reasons - that he needed to clear up some serious doubts about his preferences, and that he had a crush on her the size of a small country - both sucked. Hard. Kanji would never be able to explain them the way he wanted, Naoto'd run a mile even if he could, and both were ultimately kind of selfish. His benefit, not hers. She hadn't seemed keen on the pageant idea from the start, and she'd been even less into Kanji begging her to be a contestant.

Unfortunately, this didn't stop him wanting her to do it anyway. "F-f-figure-s'new experience, yeah? And-and you're-" _Really awesome and cute and if I was in charge you'd win every contest in the universe. _"You're pretty popular."

"With girls. And it-it isn't popularity when they aren't…" She trailed off into a grimace. "They're hardly my friends."

"But they like you." Kanji felt a little helpless. Naoto kind of had a point - he hadn't seen her talk with many other students at all, girls or otherwise - but she couldn't blame people for liking her. Who wouldn't?

There was a long, long moment of silence before Naoto spoke again.

"I don't want to be in the pageant, Kanji-kun." She glanced up at him for a moment, then away again. "I-I'm sorry."

"Why-?"

"It isn't appropriate. And I-Yukiko-senpai and Rise are far more suited to that sort of thing. Chie-senpai will also do well. Rise has informed me that she's well-regarded among male students. As for myself, I-I'm not…well, as I said, it's inappropriate."

Kanji's actual question had been _why are you sorry_. He was grateful only one word of it had made it to his mouth. Naoto was just being polite. Good upbringing and all that crap. Unfortunately, it made him feel like even more of an asshole. He'd suspected she wouldn't be cool with entering the pageant since Yosuke first signed her up; no matter how much he wanted it, trying to push her into taking part had been selfish on a whole new level.

He swallowed hard. "You-you don't hafta enter. Or 'pologize if you don't," he quickly added. "N-not like it matters, y'know?"

Man, he sucked at lying. Naoto must've noticed too, because she somehow looked even more uncomfortable. "Of course not," she said quietly, still turned away.

Kanji had the sinking feeling he'd made things worse. "I-I think you'd do great if you did," he tried. It was easier to say when she wasn't looking. "But s'okay if you don't."

…Yeah, like Naoto would be doing this for him. If anyone, it'd be for Souji. Who cropped up in Kanji's thoughts way too often, considering he was supposed to be talking to Naoto, dammit, and she needed cheering up again. He tried for a grin. "'Sides, maybe you can ask 'em to hold another cross-dressing one. 'Mister' Yasogami High."

Lame joke, but it worked. Naoto's expression relaxed. "Rise-chan suggested the same. I suspect I'd be the only entrant."

"Ah, Rise'd join in too. You'd still win."

"I would be ashamed if I didn't," she answered, the corners of her lips curving into a tiny smile. It disappeared a moment later. "I should return to work. Even if rehearsals are delayed, I have to help prepare the stage." She sighed. "Unfortunately, Ohtani-senpai is playing Juliet and the balcony has not proved as sturdy as first thought."

Kanji nodded. "Uh, okay. Good luck," he said - then, as she was about to turn away, added, "And thanks, yeah? For, for offering to-y'know. The school board. I-I know it was just convenient - but still."

Naoto glanced up at him, nodded once in reply, then turned and walked away.

* * *

Kanji had never seen the benefits of being tall, particularly when teamed with muscles guys twice his age would envy. He intimidated people without even trying, his feet stuck out over the end of his bed at night, his knees barely fit under his desk at school - and worst of all, none of the dresses in the shop would fit him. Seriously, there was a huge gap in the market. What was a dude supposed to do if he needed a nice dress at short notice? With no time to put a full pattern together, Kanji had resorted to pulling some white cotton out of the stockroom and trying to make some sort of billowy thing that he really hoped wouldn't look like a tent.

He still hadn't figured out where the others would get their outfits. Yosuke was still diligently pretending the pageant wouldn't happen, so Kanji couldn't imagine him trawling around the womenswear section at Junes. Even Senpai was jittery, which had been kind of surprising at first. Made sense, though; the guy couldn't be calm about everything. Maybe, Kanji thought grimly, _he_ was the weird one for being cool with putting on a dress. Maybe Naoto would think that way too. Hard to tell, given how _mysterious_ she was. Shit, what had he even meant? Wasn't like 'mysterious' was a good thing. To him, it'd become shorthand for 'impossible to ever fricking understand no matter _how_ much you like them'.

But the part he hadn't put into words bothered Kanji even more. Back when they'd first met, he'd wanted to be Naoto almost as much as he'd wanted to be with her. She'd been cool, calm, smart, no-nonsense...all traits someone like him didn't have and never would. Seeing the side she kept buried underneath had been majorly disappointing - because it meant that even if she was better at hiding it, Naoto was just as mixed-up as him.

Thing was, when he thought about it now, he _liked _that. He just couldn't figure out why. It made no sense.

His phone buzzed against the sewing table, Rise's number flashing on the screen.

_did u find a dress 4 2morow? this is gonna b soooooo awesom! \(^o^)/_

Text message, of course. Couldn't make the faces otherwise. _working on it. you got all the makeup and stuff?_

_im an IDOL kanji -_- no wories about makeup! ur gonna look gr8 naotokun will love it_

He scowled as his fingers jabbed at the keys. _shes got nothing to do with this!_

_riiiight :3 beautiful blushing kanjikun + the dashing detective prince_

Since Rise wasn't in the room, Kanji had to settle for glaring at the phone instead. Maybe he should find out how to do the faces too; with Rise, he'd only need to learn the angry ones. _shut it!_

_whatev kanji c u 2morrow! d(^_^)b_

She was nuts. No question. Kanji cursed under his breath and went back to making his not-a-tent, fervently hoping Ma wouldn't ask why he was running a sewing machine at midnight.


	22. Interlude 5

_A/N: Story so far: Once again, Yosuke Screwed Everything Up - leaving the girls to take their revenge, and Kanji to made an impassioned and ultimately ignored plea to Naoto._

_In this not-particularly-short interlude: Naoto tries to make Teddie a girl, can't understand why she needs to make Kanji a man, and still doesn't know what to make of herself. _

_(Apologies for the slow updates...on the bright side, barring any unforeseen problems, updates *should* be weekly for the rest of the festival chapters.)_

_EDIT: Many thanks to Megaolix for his awesome idea regarding Naoto's dress (and apologies for forgetting this credit in the first upload)_

* * *

**October 30th, 2011**

"Nao-chan! Wait!"

In stating that she would 'go borrow a make-up kit', Naoto had actually meant 'run off and hide until this horrible day is over'. It had been a snap decision and in retrospect an utterly childish one. Futile too, since Teddie had a turn of speed that rivaled Chie-senpai's.

Naoto, however, had the twin advantages of a sharp mind and sheer desperation. All she needed to do was shake Teddie off. He'd soon grow bored searching for her. Then he'd wander back to the group, the girls could dress him up in whatever they wished and she would be free to plan her escape from the ridiculous beauty contest later that day. Assuming she wanted to escape - or rather, whether escape would be appropriate. Seta-senpai had instructed her to 'integrate' herself into the team, as he had phrased it, and this was an injustice they all had to suffer. It would also be unwise to incur the faculty's displeasure so soon after joining Yasogami High.

Besides, Kanji had specifically requested that she-

_Focus, Shirogane._ Find a place to hide. Leave the ruminations till then.

The roof? No, no, Teddie would see her climbing the stairs. Far better to make her way outside and lose him in the schoolyard. With Teddie still yelling after her, Naoto burst through the doors to the practice building, rounded the corner to the right - and barely skidded to a halt in front of a large cardboard box. A cardboard box with legs and a female voice. "Hey! Watch where you're going!"

Standing on tiptoes and peering over the top of the box, Naoto could see the upper half of a face, framed by dark hair and wearing an annoyed expression. "I'm sorry, I-" she began - unfortunately, at the same moment Teddie dashed around the corner behind her and slammed into her back.

People had been doing that a lot lately. Far more often than Naoto liked - even if it had technically been her fault two times out of three.

"Nao-chan!" Teddie trilled, wrapping himself around her waist like an over-friendly python. "You waited!" His grip both kept her upright and prevented her from falling on top of the box, but Naoto still only managed an unhappy noise in response.

"Are you two gonna block the corridor all day?" The girl had placed the box on the floor and was now staring at Teddie, eyes narrowed. "Wait…aren't you that guy from Junes? The exchange student?"

Teddie beamed back at her. "I know you - you're Sensei's friend!" He paused in thought, Naoto taking the opportunity to wriggle out of his grasp. "Or one of them, anyway. He has tons. _Everyone_ likes Souji-sensei."

"You know Souji too?"

Naoto, deciding she ought to be involved in the conversation, stuck out her hand. "Naoto Shirogane. Class 1-1."

The handshake was not returned. Instead, the girl studied Naoto for a moment, before her face flickered with recognition. "Oh yeah, I remember. The girl who was a boy. Or the boy who's a girl. Why're you-"

A voice called out from somewhere down the corridor. "Ozawa, are you getting those wigs or not?"

"It's fine if you don't! Really!" called a second - male and vaguely panic-stricken.

The girl rolled her eyes; Naoto refrained from pointing out that the voice wouldn't see it. "I've already _got_ them. Stop complaining!" she snapped, then bent down to pick up the box at her feet.

With another remarkable turn of speed, Teddie darted in front of her and lifted the box into his arms. "Pretty girls shouldn't carry heavy objects! Allow me!"

"It's not actually heavy - but sure." Ozawa shrugged and gestured down the corridor behind Naoto. "Take it to the Home Ec. room, please."

Naoto hadn't paid the box much thought, being preoccupied with both the conversation and Teddie grabbing her. Looking closely now, it was full of synthetic-looking hair in various unnatural shades. "Why do you need the wigs?"

"Because two guys I know refuse to ever give up on a bet," Ozawa replied, shaking her head as she followed Teddie into the classroom, Naoto following her in turn.

Inside, perched next to each other on sewing stools in the center of the room, sat two unhappy-looking boys draped in elaborate, flowing dresses. Dresses which Naoto was positive she'd seen hanging on a clothes rail ready for use in the festival play. A blonde girl was standing next to the larger of the two, wielding a tube of lipstick in one hand and gripping his chin with the other. She seemed familiar, though Naoto couldn't quite place her.

"C'mon, Yumi, don't bring people to gawk at us!" the larger boy bellowed, trying to squirm out of the blonde's grip.

"So," asked Ozawa, "which of you two wants to be the redhead?"

Before either boy could answer, Teddie tossed the box on the nearest sewing table and bounded across the room. "Ooh, fellow contestants! Pursuing the dream of young men everywhere!"

The slimmer of the two boys cringed and muttered something under his breath that Naoto couldn't quite hear, but seemed to relate to everything in life being horrible enough already. It was difficult to tell under the thick layer of makeup and the mass of turquoise frills, but hadn't she seen him-

"Ichijo-senpai," Naoto said, as respectfully as she could manage, "that is not your costume."

"No crap. This makes that dumb Hamlet outfit look good," muttered Ichijo. He glanced at the boy to his right and let out a pained sigh. "Nagase, you're a idiot."

Naoto tried again. "The dresses are required for the play, Ichijo-senpai, you should return them to-"

"Gimme a break, man." Again Nagase tried to pull away from the blonde girl, wincing as she dug her perfectly manicured nails into his chin. "Who was the one bragging about what an awesome girl he'd make?"

"Shut up, I totally would and you know it." Ichijo stared at the fabric pooling around his legs and pulled a face. "It's this stupid dress."

"I'll take it if you like," Teddie offered, poking at the elaborate ruff around Ichijo's neck.

Naoto cleared her throat. "I am certain there is no need to use these dress-"

"Oh, like anyone cares!" Ozawa exclaimed. "The play's gonna suck."

The blonde girl made a vague sound of disdain. "You're just pissed that the drama club didn't get asked to join in."

"I told you, I'm not into that stuff anymore. The whole idea's just bad. I mean, _Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet_?"

"Yeah." Ichijo sighed again. "Could've picked at least _one_ play where everybody doesn't die at the end."

Naoto studied him closely; makeup and dress aside, she had heard other students claim Ichijo and herself shared a close resemblance. Back when she'd still been considered male, there had even been rumors that the two of them were long-lost brothers. Absurd in every sense. Same hair coloring, similar sharp features - but Ichijo was easily as tall as Seta-senpai even while slouching, while the idea of Naoto joining the basketball club soared past optimism and landed somewhere near delusion. He also looked better in a dress than she ever would.

She shook her head. They were wasting time. "My apologies, senpai, but Teddie and I must prepare for-"

"-beating you in the pageant!" Teddie leaned over the blonde girl and inspected the makeup bag at her side. "Can we borrow some of your equipment?"

"Wait, you're in the contest too?" Ozawa narrowed her eyes again. "That makes you our competition."

The blonde shrugged, swapping the lipstick for a black pencil and casually smacking Teddie's hand away from the bag. "Like Kou and Daisuke are gonna win anyway. But you're only getting the spare, whatever your name is." She glanced toward Ozawa. "Give it to him, he'll make a cute girl."

Any chance Naoto had of escaping from this task had vanished. Might as well seize the opportunity. "The loan would be appreciated. Of course we'll take good care of-"

"A beautiful woman like you needs no makeup, Yumi-chan!" Teddie insisted, then tipped a thumb toward Nagase and Ichijo. "Neither do these two, it wouldn't help."

"Hey! You tryin' to say something?" roared Nagase.

After a moment's pause, Ozawa gave a shrug. "I guess giving you the basics wouldn't hurt."

"Thank you, Yumi-chan!" On Naoto's embryonic Sparkle Quotient scale, Teddie's sudden grin ranked as a small shower of diamonds - and, as usual, the effect was instantaneous.

Cheeks flushed a furious red, Ozawa offered him a shy smile in return as she handed him the bag. "Oh… um, no problem. Good luck."

* * *

A ridiculous number of brushes, a bent pair of scissors, something that looked like a pipe cleaner dipped in motor oil and more shades of lipstick than had any right to exist. How did this constitute the basics?

"This is hopeless," Naoto muttered as she stared at the collection of objects scattered on the desk. "I apologize, Teddie. I'm going to be no help at all."

"That's okay! We're an unstoppable double team of sartorial savvy!" Teddie chirped, midway through applying lipstick to his eyelids. "Besides, the stuff I'm putting on myself looks great."

Her formal schooling might have been limited, but after a comprehensive self-education Naoto considered herself well-versed in many crucial areas of knowledge. Makeup, being utterly pointless, was not one of them. The little she'd picked up from observing Rise confirmed her suspicions that Teddie knew even less. "I believe the blue powder is eyeshadow, not hair glitter."

"I like blue," he said happily. "You always look so nice in it, Nao-chan."

Naoto glanced toward the door, fingers worrying the collar of her shirt. "I-I should retrieve one of the others. Rise-san would be better placed to assist you." Why had Chie-senpai ever suggested her involvement to begin with? She had little idea how to present _herself_ as a girl, never mind making a boy - or bear - resemble one.

"Rise-chan's busy. Here, put some of this black pen on me."

Naoto took the black cylinder - or at least tolerated Teddie shoving it into her palm - and leaned down next to his chair. "Ah…this is eyeliner, correct?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. I tried doing research this morning, but the girls in the magazines under Yosuke's bed didn't have much makeup on and they weren't wearing nice dresses." He paused, tilting his head. "Actually, they weren't wearing anything. Oh, except for one, she had this bright red plastic-ow, don't stick the pen in my eye!"

"_Pleasestoptalking_," Naoto spluttered.

This earned her a pout in response, but Teddie dropped the topic nonetheless - and once Naoto's hand had steadied, she resumed tracing the pen along the rim of his left eyelid. The nib kept getting stuck in the lipstick. "Hopeless," she repeated through gritted teeth. "As if entering the pageant weren't bad enough."

Teddie patted her arm. "Don't worry, Nao-chan. You're gonna look bear-y pretty."

"That is _not_ one of my concerns."

"Every girl wants to look pretty," he insisted, waving the lipstick tube at her for emphasis and almost knocking the pen in his eye again. "Every Teddie too. And Kanji-chan."

Naoto tried not to cringe.

Signing the boys up for the cross-dressing pageant had been Rise's idea, though ten full minutes of interrogation hadn't uncovered the reason behind it. Given the way she'd smirked and shrugged, Naoto wasn't certain one existed. Unfortunately, Chie-senpai had quickly jumped on board in the name of revenge, Yukiko-senpai had followed out of solidarity, and Naoto's protests had been feeble at best. Rocking the boat had seemed unwise when the girls had apparently claimed her as one of their own. It was kind of them to do so. Knowing that made it no easier to stomach - and no better an excuse for going along with their plan.

She swallowed. "Is Kanji-chan-I mean, Kanji-kun, is he…acquiescent to his participation in the pageant?"

Teddie gave her a cheerfully blank stare.

Right. Shorter words. "Kanji. Is-is he angry about being in the contest?"

"Nope. Kanji-chan hits things when he gets mad, so it's easy to tell."

Teddie's assertion was most likely correct. Naoto had gauged Kanji's temper well before their first meeting. Body language was simple to read, and the clench of his fists and the way he'd prowled the streets as she'd trailed him through the shopping district had spoken more than any of the stumbled sentences during their initial conversation. If he'd been truly angry about being entered into the pageant, wouldn't he have shown it on the roof?

…Except Kanji had changed in recent months. His manner of speaking remained the same but he carried himself in an entirely different manner. Almost with pride. Doubtless Seta-senpai had played a part in this transformation. The same threat now hung over Naoto; one of many reasons she felt ill-at-ease in Senpai's presence. She preferred not to think about the others. She preferred not to think about Kanji either, because what he'd said on the roof and later in the corridor had been completely-

"Hey, are you drawing on my face? I hope it's something nice!"

She blinked. The pen had slid down from Teddie's left eye to somewhere near his chin. "Ah. Sorry."

Teddie pointed to his left cheek. "Sensei says I'm a star, so you should draw that."

Mind still preoccupied, Naoto nodded obligingly and began outlining a lopsided star.

She should have gone to the school board. Found some loophole in the school charter allowing both her and Kanji to withdraw from the contest. It would have been so much simpler. Kanji would have no need to cross-dress and Naoto would have no need not to.

Except he'd seemed perfectly content to enter. More than that, he'd asked her outright to do the same - and after hours of diligently not thinking about it, Naoto still hadn't found a logical explanation.

"Thanks for helping me, Nao-chan. I know you didn't really want to, but I'm glad you are." A finger tapped against her nose, snapping her back to awareness. Teddie was smiling brightly - blue powder in his hair, red lipstick and eyeliner on his eyelids, and a shaky black line and star drawn on his left cheek. The reprimand Sukuna-Hikona buzzed at the walls of her skull was quite unrepeatable.

"I-" Naoto shook her head again, partly in disbelief. "What am I _doing_? I-I'm supposed to be helping you and instead I'm obsessing over-"

"Wow. What did you do, throw the whole kit at him?"

Naoto bolted upright and turned around. In the doorway of the music room stood the blonde girl from earlier; the one who'd been attacking Nagase with a tube of lipstick. She walked into the room, gaze flickering between Naoto and Teddie. "I've seen you before. You hang out with Souji, right?"

...Of course. This was the girl she'd seen in the corridor with Seta-senpai almost two weeks ago - the one who'd watched Naoto make a complete idiot of herself and then been unpleasant about it.

"Ah-um, we-" Naoto began, then realized she wasn't making real words and stuck out her hand instead. "Naoto Shirogane. Class 1-1. You insulted my shoes."

This handshake was no more successful than the last. The girl gave her an indifferent glance which quickly shifted to her feet. "Yeah, the Frankenstein boots. They really aren't doing anything for you, y'know."

Naoto opened her mouth to respond; specifically, to politely and firmly explain that her shoes were simultaneously perfectly adequate for school use and perfectly able to serve the purpose for which they intended. Unfortunately, her indignation had no time to cool into an actual sentence before the girl continued.

"I'm Ai Ebihara, but you probably know that already," she said, though her attention was now clearly focused on Teddie. "Thought I'd come watch you play dress-up with this little doll."

"I'm not a doll, I'm a bear. And we aren't playing dress-up. Teddie's entering the contest!"

"You already said that." As she peered closer, Ebihara's forehead creased into a delicate frown. "Is that lipstick on your eyelids?"

Teddie nodded proudly. "Yes."

She raised her eyebrows - possibly in admiration, possibly in disdain - then turned to Naoto. "So where's his outfit?"

"Outfit?"

"Yeah. Makeup comes after the clothes, everyone knows _that_." Apparently Naoto hadn't hid her blank stare as successfully as she'd hoped, because Ebihara gave her a tentative look of surprise. "…Except you, huh?"

Naoto shrugged helplessly.

Ebihara stared at her for several awkward seconds - then smiled in nearly the same manner Rise did when pushing a conversation back on-track, or at least onto whichever track she preferred. Come to think of it, Ebihara and Rise shared several similarities. Naoto hoped they'd never meet.

"Figures. Guys don't wear it, and you think you're one or like one or whatever you've got going on." Ebihara tipped her head. "Want some help?"

Half-leaping from his seat, Teddie punched a fist into the air. "Of course! New friends on Team Teddie guarantee victory!"

Relying on others didn't come naturally to Naoto and her first impulse was to refuse the offer of help. But in truth, Teddie _would_ make an attractive girl. Wide eyes with long lashes, hair that simultaneously looked silken and fuzzy, the ability to sparkle at will... in capable hands, he might even win the contest. He deserved better than her, Naoto decided, choosing not to dwell on the fact that she'd just applied the word 'attractive' to someone who spent half their time as a red and blue bear. "We'd welcome the assistance. But what about Ichijo-senpai and Nagase-senpai?"

"I'd rather help Sparkles here. At least he has a chance of winning. Trust me, Kou's cute, but he doesn't make as good a girl as he says or as you'd think. And as for Daisuke…" The sentence trailed off into a shudder. "A miracle couldn't fix that."

"Well…thank you, Ebihara-senpai," Naoto said, with a slight bow and a tip of her cap. "This-it, um, isn't exactly my area of expertise."

"No kidding. But it should be, right?" Ebihara walked over to the desk, took the seat next to Teddie and began rifling through the equipment on the table. "I mean, you cross-dress."

"No I don't," Naoto shot back on instinct, quickly amending it to, "I-I mean, I, I suppose I do - but not as a girl!"

"Forget the girl part." Ebihara began wiping a cloth over Teddie's face, ignoring his squeaked protests. "I want the bigger picture. How'd you convince everyone you were a guy?"

_Because I am_, Naoto almost said. It was a ridiculous response. It was also completely instinctive. "I-I don't know."

"Yosuke said you definitely fooled Kanji-chan," Teddie pointed out, wincing slightly when Ebihara grabbed his left ear and scrubbed at his cheek. "Big time."

Naoto frowned. Hadn't she fooled everyone? Perhaps Kanji had just been more hurt when the truth came out, since they'd previously been…not friends, exactly, not in any normal sense of the word. But they'd talked. More than she had with anyone else in town, even if that wasn't saying much. The visits after his rescue had been a kind gesture, too - one that Naoto hadn't truly appreciated at the time but now almost missed.

_(Sorry shouldhavesaidsorry deservedbetter)_

…Irrelevant. Sukuna-Hikona knew nothing of the situation. If Naoto owed Kanji an apology, she owed one to the rest of the team and to every other person she'd encountered in the last four years. She'd had no choice but to lie, and it hadn't truly been deliberate; by the time she'd arrived in Inaba, the pretence hadn't felt like one in a very long time.

"Well?" Ebihara sounded irritated. "C'mon, there's got to be _something_."

"The details," Naoto said firmly, waving a hand toward Teddie. "He's attractive enough to make a reasonable girl, but victory may depend on the finer aspects." She shook her head. "But this is merely for a pageant, not a long-term endeavor."

"Doesn't matter. Just pick one thing he can do."

Naoto hesitated, studying Teddie carefully.

She simply needed to reverse the process. Have him emulate the flaws she'd worked so hard to hide. Speech wasn't the main concern in a beauty pageant, his shoulders were already narrow enough for them to appear rounded, and his mannerisms hardly qualified as masculine. Little about Teddie did. Since learning that he'd effectively grown his human form inside his suit, Naoto had suspected his choice of gender had been arbitrary.

"Movement," she decided. "Girls carry themselves lightly. You should shorten your steps. Keep your legs closer together."

"Sounds tricky." Teddie's brow furrowed. "What if I skip?"

Naoto paused. "…Good enough."

Ebihara had moved on from removing Teddie's makeup to brushing the eyeshadow out of his hair. "Cool. So, Sparkles, where's your dress?"

"Didn't bring one. I thought I could borrow a uniform." He grinned. "Maybe from a pretty girl."

"What, you figured someone would strip off for you?" Ebihara asked, eyebrows raised - then shook her head at Teddie's confused shrug. "Okay, so we need an outfit. Any ideas, Shirogane?"

"Ah. Um…well, do you have anything? There's no time to go to Junes, and-"

Ebihara made the same derisive sound as before. It was something close to a snort. "They only sell crap anyway - and I don't have anything that would fit him. Too many curves," she added with a smirk toward Naoto. "Guess _you_ wouldn't have that problem."

Immensely grateful that Rise hadn't broadcast her measurements to the world and equally proud that she continued to hide them successfully, Naoto shook her head.

"He's taller than you,'" Ebihara continued, eyes narrowed, "but you're both kinda skinny…got anything he could borrow?"

Naoto blinked. "_Girls'_ clothing?"

"Oh. Yeah, maybe not."

'Maybe not' ought to be amended to 'never in a million years'. Save for one occasion, Naoto hadn't worn a dress or skirt since she was six, a record she had no intention of breaking. Every item of clothing she owned had been designed for a boy. Of course, the shirts always needed tailoring first and the trousers were too long, but that didn't change the fact that-

Wait. There was one other option. A horrible one, if anyone found out - but she owed Teddie what limited assistance she could provide.

Naoto swallowed hard. "I-I…there's…a dress. My grandmother."

Ebihara frowned. "Your grandmother's dress?"

"No. She sent me a-a dress. Dresses. One every year since I turned ten." Her grandmother had forwarded this year's model to Inaba as a belated birthday gift, despite Naoto's desperate pleas that Grampa withhold her new address. "Th-the most recent is at my apartment."

"Really? Wow," Ebihara said, a little disbelievingly. "Do you ever wear it?"

Naoto stared at her.

"Okay, that's a no. But what does it look like?"

Picturing it was difficult. She'd thrown it in the bedroom closet immediately after opening the parcel. "Blue. There are…frills. And an apron." From what she recalled, the dress really didn't look like anything Yukiko or Chie or even Rise usually wore outside of school, and the lattermost had a clear penchant for ridiculous outfits. Naoto had never tried it on and never would. She wasn't entirely certain why she'd kept it.

Ebihara winced. "Well, I guess we can go for the retro vote," she said, then looked down at Teddie, one hand resting lightly on his shoulder. "What do you think, Sparkles?"

Teddie let out a happy sigh. "It's like a dream. Wearing Nao-chan's dress, with frills."

"It is _not_ my dress!" Naoto hissed. "And you will tell nobody of this!"

"Not even Sensei?"

"_Especially_ not him!" The thought was too horrible to contemplate. She owed both her life and her place on the team to Seta-senpai, who valued her abilities despite the disadvantages of her gender. He'd even offered to help her with that ridiculous Phantom Thief letter, idle diversion though it was. Above all, he respected her. Naoto wanted him to keep doing this more than she knew how to say. The image of her in a blue dress and apron? Disastrous. "Absolutely not him," she repeated under her breath.

"Oh, he wouldn't mind." Ebihara shrugged. "Souji's a nice guy. Which is normally a bad thing, but he totally makes it work."

Naoto nodded emphatically. "He does."

Several moments of silence followed. When she looked up, Ebihara was watching her with an expression she couldn't decode. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Ebihara replied, a little too quickly. "Just keep seeing you round here with…what's his name. Big guy, always scowls."

"Kanji Tatsumi?"

"Yeah. You hang out with him. So, you know."

Naoto didn't. Her dealings with Kanji were a separate matter. There had been moments of...awkwardness, perhaps, mostly on his part, but she assumed that was due to her earlier ill-judged behavior. Naoto was hesitant to say for certain, the criteria being so unclear - but at this point, he and Rise might be the closest she'd ever come to having friends.

Seta-senpai was different. Any awkwardness in that association was entirely her own fault. She had too much to prove.

Ebihara glanced at the clock on the music-room wall. "We've got two hours before the pageant starts. Think you can fetch the dress in time?"

Naoto nodded. The buses in Inaba were usually punctual, and if she ran the rest of the way it would take only an hour to make it there and back.

"Okay, get going. I'll finish cleaning him up, maybe start with the basics." She turned back to Teddie and tugged at a stray lock of his hair. "Do you want a wig? I kinda like it like this."

He tipped up his chin. "Teddie prefers the natural look."

Mumbling something approaching a goodbye, Naoto walked toward the door. She was almost in the corridor when Ebihara called after her.

"Hey, Shirogane. You're in the girls' pageant." She gave a slight smile. "Want help with that too?"

_(Mustwantsomething? Noreason noreason askherwhy)_

"But-wh-why would you want to assist me?" Naoto stammered. "We don't know each other."

Ebihara shrugged. "I'm good at this stuff. I've had a lot of practice." The smile shifted to a smirk. "Besides, you're hopeless. I'd be a total bitch not to offer, and I'm sorta trying to get past that."

It was a kind gesture, Naoto reminded herself, feeling thoroughly lost.

She bit her lip. "I, I don't want to be in the pageant at all. If-if I must, Rise Kujikawa has offered to help. But…thank you, Ebihara-senpai. F-for the offer."

Teddie smiled and gave her a thumbs-up. It was inexplicably reassuring. "That's okay, Nao-chan. Now Ai-chan's full focus will be on Teddie, ensuring his greatest triumph!"

She nodded. "Absolutely, Teddie. I'll return shortly with your outfit." Naoto turned and walked briskly out of the music-room - only making it a few strides before her cell buzzed inside her pocket. When she fished it out, Rise's name was on-screen.

She flipped the phone open. "Rise-san?"

_"Naoto-kun! Where are you?"_

"Um…the practice building. Should I be-"

_"Great! I need a platinum blonde wig."_

Naoto paused, recalling a simpler time when her phone calls centered around police reports and dead bodies. "I assume this is for the pageant."

_"Yep. I totally forgot about Kanji-kun's hair, can you believe it?" _There was a loud curse somewhere in the background, and Rise tsked. "_He's being a big jerk about it too. One of Senpai's friends dropped by and said there's a box of wigs in the Home Ec room, she got them from drama club or something, I dunno - but I need a platinum blonde one, something that looks like-you know Marilyn Monroe, right? Everyone does! I love her movies, Yosuke-senpai downloaded some of the dubs for me, I'll give you the DVD sometime. Get something that'll make Kanji-kun look like her, okay? Thanks, Naoto-kun!"_

With that, Rise hung up. Sighing, Naoto snapped her phone shut and hoped the girl would remember to breathe.


	23. Chapter 18

_A/N: Story so far: I was the biggest liar-slash-optimist ever about when I'd next update. Sorry everyone. Hope I am not too rusty on this writing thing. I have a lot to catch up on here - stories to read, stuff to post, reviews to answer, etc. etc.  
_

_But, let's try this again.  
_

_Story so far: Asked to help Teddie prepare for the 'Miss' Yasogami contest, Naoto tried and failed to run away, then made amends by lending him a dress. Meanwhile, Kanji and Rise began their own preparations._

_In this part: Rise is very helpful, Naoto is equally mortified, and Kanji and Yosuke share a shower._

* * *

**October 30th, 2011**

"Okay! Naoto-kun's on the case." Rise swapped her cell phone for the comb and went back to tugging the latter through Kanji's hair. "Y'know, this'd be much easier if you didn't dunk your head in hair gel every morning. It's like glue."

Nothing wrong with wanting to look nice, Kanji reminded himself. Gelling his hair made him look badass. It also kept it from sticking up a ton of weird angles and making him look like a hedgehog. "This chick. Mary or whatever. You sure I'll look like her?"

"_Marilyn Monroe_, Kanji-kun. I can't believe you haven't seen her films! She was like the closest thing to an idol back then!" Rise's happy sigh shifted seamlessly into a giggle. "And you're both bottle blond, right?"

Kanji suspected it was way more complicated than that and wished he'd checked out a picture of this Marilyn first. "I'm trusting you, yeah?"

"Don't worry, you're in safe hands," Rise insisted, almost tearing out a snarled clump of hair above his left ear. "Risette's gonna make you a princess."

"I never said nothin' 'bout princesses!"

"And if you're a princess," she continued as if Kanji hadn't spoken, "then you need a prince." Her smirk crept up the back of his neck. "Got anyone in mind?"

It wasn't the sort of question that needed an answer. Slouching back in his chair, Kanji kicked his heels against the classroom floor. "Why ain't you helpin' Souji-senpai?"

The comb stopped moving. "...Yukiko-senpai wanted to do it."

Thinking about it, both Yukiko and Souji had disappeared pretty fast. Kanji hadn't noticed at the time, largely because a rocket launch couldn't have drowned out Yosuke's long, loud explanation of just how badly Chie would have to kill him before he'd let her put him in a skirt. By the three minute mark, it'd seemed like she'd do it just to shut him up. Yukiko had been smart to snag Souji instead.

Didn't explain why Rise hadn't gotten there first, though. "But ain't you-"

"Besides, you totally need my help on this," Rise cut in, then started yanking at his hair again. "How else are you gonna win?"

While Kanji appreciated the help, he'd already accepted that an entire squadron of Rises couldn't bag him this contest. She'd have been better off with Senpai. "Yeah…just figured, y'know."

A soft sound came from behind him; something that might've been a laugh but only made it halfway. Rise leaned forward, resting one hand on his shoulder. "I've been throwing myself at Souji-senpai for months, Kanji-kun," she said, not quite lightly enough, and Kanji's stomach twisted with recognition - until she opened her mouth again. "So there's no problem with me taking time out to make Tatsumi-chan look pretty for his handsome prince, right?"

Kanji scowled on principle. "Shut y'face."

"Oh, stop being such a diva. I bet Naoto-kun hates that sort of thing."

"Don't care," he muttered. "Contest's stupid."

"You won't have any fun if you're being all grumpy. Lighten up!"

Kanji glowered in silence - first at the floor, then at the opposite wall, and finally at his dress, which was slung over the nearest of the costume racks that half-filled the classroom.

It was a total rush-job. The stitching was shoddy - he'd been so tired he'd almost sewn the stupid thing to his t-shirt - and the cut was a fricking disaster and Naoto sure as hell wouldn't say it was _professional_ or even-

A finger jabbed the back of his head. "C'mon, you were really into this before. What happened?"

Truth was, Kanji had spent most of the past hour fighting off a fit of self-doubt. Distracting himself had been easy before that; he'd stayed up half the night sewing his dumb dress, kicked around in Daidara's all morning watching the guy hammer Chie's old greaves into something that was trying its best to be a pair of high heels, then come to school and concentrated on not staring at Naoto. Ever since she'd disappeared with Teddie (which Kanji really hadn't been cool with), there'd been nothing to do but sit in classroom 2-3 while Rise tried to pull his hair out. Which had led to a whole bunch of thinking and an increasing suspicion that this entire thing was the worst idea ever. Hanamura's wailing about irreparable damage to his manliness hadn't helped. "Just stupid, s'all."

It wasn't an answer Rise liked. With an annoyed huff, she grabbed his dress from the rail and shoved it into his hands. "Fine, don't tell me, but at least get dressed while you sulk!"

Kanji stood up, mumbled something unrepeatable under his breath - the hell was Rise's deal with butting into his business? - and lifted the hem of his shirt. He got it as far as his ribs before Rise squeaked and yanked the fabric back down.

"Whoa, whoa! Kanji-kun, not here!"

He frowned. "…Why not?"

"Because _I'm_ standing in front of you, dummy!" Rise shook her head, then pointed to the far corner of the classroom. "Go use the changing room!"

…Damn, he really _was_ distracted. Stripping off in front of girls just wasn't something you did, not only because it wasn't proper, but also because girls were confusing and nerve-wracking and ultimately kind of terrifying. Frankly, Kanji was a little disturbed he'd gotten so comfortable around Rise. Then he decided she was uniquely terrifying in her own right and therefore a special case - and, with a mumbled apology, made his way to the changing room.

It didn't deserve the name. From what he could tell, someone had just shoved three display boards into an open square and thrown a bed sheet over the top. He had to duck to get inside and almost knocked one of the walls down trying to kick off his pants. After that, he quickly realized two things: that putting on a dress was way more difficult than girls ever let on, and that no matter how tired he'd felt, he really should've tried his out last night. Trying to tug the thing past his shoulders and cursing under his breath, he didn't notice the footsteps behind him until the sheet was pulled back from the entrance.

Man, Rise had some fricking nerve. She'd practically thrown him in here to get dressed, given him no time to do it, and now she was just barging in?

Kanji swung around, scowl at the ready. "Dammit, Rise, I ain't fin-"

"Kanji-kun, here is-"

Mid-spin, he noticed that the voice was crisp, level, and definitely not Rise's. Unfortunately, the information didn't register until he'd turned a full semi-circle - leaving him face-to-face with a wide-eyed Naoto Shirogane.

Kanji froze, dress bunched above his head.

Naoto, meanwhile, jerked backward two steps and bumped into Rise, whom Kanji now had pegged as secretly some sort of twin-tailed demon. "Thanks, Naoto-kun!" she chirped, reaching around Naoto's shoulder and plucking the wig from her hands. "This'll be perfect once I clean the dust off. Help Kanji-kun with his dress, okay?"

In response, Naoto made a noise that sounded nothing like agreement, followed by two more that might've been attempts at Rise's name. Rise responded by shoving her forward again, smiling brightly, then disappearing back into the classroom.

Kanji blinked.

Naoto blinked back. Twice. "Um. What. What do you-"

_Crap. Crap._ Stuck in a fake changing room in only his boxers with Naoto looking like she'd shoot him and _oh crap _

Kanji's mind struggled with rational thought at the best of times. Working through the logistics of simultaneously putting on a dress and not passing out sent it into a tail-spin. "N-nothing! S'fine!" he yelled, and tried to yank the dress down over his head.

If getting the thing on before had been difficult, blind panic ruled it out completely. Although most of the fabric made it past his shoulders this time, it just bunched up around his biceps instead, leaving him with his head wrapped in white cotton and his arms trapped at his sides. The sole consolation was that Naoto wouldn't see him blushing - unless his face really _was_ about to catch fire, which would at least get him out of the stupid dress.

Scissors. He'd have to beg her to fetch some. Sure, she'd probably just run out the classroom and never come back, but at least-

The thought was cut off by a sharp tug at the fabric trapping his upper arms, which loosened the dress just enough for him to wriggle inside and slip his arms through the straps. It also left him once again face to face with Naoto, standing in the entrance with her hands clasped behind her back - and, even though Kanji took up most of the makeshift changing room, somehow looking at everything in it except him.

Suddenly, being trapped in a dress didn't seem like such a bad deal.

"It was stuck. Your dress. I-I was simply-" Naoto made a sharp gesture that Kanji guessed was meant to convey her gentlemanly intentions, but came off more like a flinch.

"Th-thanks," he managed. "For, uh, helping out."

She nodded stiffly. "I'm sorry. Barging in on you. Rise," she added, like that one word explained everything. It usually did. "She-she said you were trying on your shoes. Not the-"

"Y-yeah. Rise."

Puppet-like, Naoto jerked her hand toward him. "It's - a very nice dress."

"I can do way better," Kanji blurted.

"I'm sure." Naoto was edging back to the entrance, one hand gripping the brim of her cap. "Well. Um. Good luck."

With that, she instantly vanished into the classroom - or at least it seemed that way. Kanji was busy wishing he could curl up and die, so he might've just blacked out for a moment.

Next thing he knew, Rise was peering around the bed sheet; grinning, expectant, and utterly evil. "So? How'd it go?"

To Kanji's credit, he kept his temper for three full seconds before exploding.

* * *

Kou covered his face with a lace-gloved hand. "Dude, I can't do this. I look like my grandmother."

"No way, man." Daisuke shook his head, his silver beehive wig swaying dangerously in response. "I saw your grandma at New Year's. She was wearing a kimono."

Which still would've been a better route for Ichijo and Nagase to take - because while Kanji had resolved to respect his senpai, particularly if they were friends of Souji, it was hard to stick to when those senpai looked like a pair of frilly meringues. "The hell d'you get those outfits?"

"Costumes for the stupid play. Ozawa and Ebihara's idea." Kou dropped his arm from his face in favor of smacking Daisuke in the shoulder. "Nagase, you moron, I told you we should've gone to Junes!"

Daisuke rolled his eyes. "Yeah, 'cause I really wanna buy myself a dress in a store that's hired half our year as weekend staff. What, you worried about looking pretty?"

"Nothin' wrong with that," Kanji interjected.

"C'mon, you know that's not it! I...see, it's just, we're gonna get up there and - I mean -" Kou growled and threw his hands up in frustration. "Souji, help me out here!"

Souji gave a shrug. "We're wearing dresses whether we like it or not," he said, brushing his plaits back behind his shoulders. "Might as well try to."

Grinning, Kanji slapped him on the back. "Thass the spirit!"

Even though Souji had turned chalk-white when he'd first seen the sign-up sheet, it figured he'd be cool with the contest in the end. Senpai was cool with _everything_. Knowing that made Kanji feel a lot better, even though it kind of sucked that Souji's outfit was nicer than his. Okay, so the grey ankle-length skirt was kind of frumpy, but at least it might've stopped Rise threatening to shave his legs.

Kou pulled a face. "If I ever start talking like that," he muttered to Daisuke, "just put me outta my-"

"Hey, guys!"

The voice was Chie's - and glancing to his left, Kanji could see her jogging down the corridor toward the group.

Opposite him, Kou flushed a furious pink. It made his turquoise dress look even worse. "Oh, _crap_."

"Have any of you seen-" Chie stopped short, frowned, then peered carefully at Daisuke and Kou. "Wait, wait. Nagase and Ichijo?"

"No," choked Kou, trying to hide behind Daisuke and almost succeeding.

Daisuke glared back at her. "It's a bet, alright?"

"...Whatever, I'm not even gonna ask. I'm more worried about where Yosuke went. Have you guys seen him?"

Souji raised an eyebrow. "I thought he was with you?"

"He was!" Chie snapped, waving her hand in the rough direction of the second floor. "Then I go to grab more ribbons from the sewing room and the big jerk runs off!"

Kanji blinked. "You serious? He chickened out?"

"I dunno." Another frown, but this one just seemed disappointed. "Probably. All I know is that I turned my back for one moment and he was gone."

Souji grimaced. "Yosuke got us into this mess. I thought he'd at least see it through." He tried to fold his arms, but his plaits kept getting trapped in his elbows.

Yosuke, Kanji reminded himself for the fifteenth time that day, wasn't a bad guy. Senpai had always said as much - usually when he'd been asking Kanji not to beat the crap out of his best friend - and so Kanji had done his best to forgive and forget. The dumb jokes about bathhouses, the dumber ones about him and Naoto, even the bitching about sleeping in the same tent; throughout it all, and occasionally successfully, he'd grit his teeth and tried to let things slide.

This? This was different.

Kanji balled his fists, shoulder muscles rippling beneath the straps of his dress. "I'll find him. No way is he gettin' out of this!"

* * *

Frankly, Kanji felt he was entitled to be a little pissed off.

Back in May, school had seemed as big a waste of time as everything else in life, except about a dozen times more frightening. That was how a couple of skipped classes had gradually turned into entire weeks where he didn't show. Kanji had flaked out, and all it'd done was make him dumber and lonelier - until Souji Seta had shown up. Souji had changed everything by making Kanji want to change himself; by making him realize he could be more than just some punk that set the neighbors gossiping. He still didn't know what he needed to be instead, or if he'd ever figure it out, but he'd worked up the courage to go back to school and just barrel on through. Hadn't missed more than a couple of classes since.

Now, six months later, he was spending Saturday morning in an ugly dress and pancake make-up, Rise was trying to ruin his life again, Naoto probably thought he was a pervert - and Yosuke Hanamura, because he was the biggest asshole who ever lived, was cowering in a shower cubicle at the back of the girls' locker room.

Souji had a _lot_ to answer for.

Yosuke was clawing at his face. "Dude. _Dude_. Do you have any idea how horrible this is gonna be?"

"Don't matter," Kanji snapped, and jerked his thumb toward the locker room door. "S'your fault, so get out there an' deal with it!"

"Looking like this? Hell, no!"

Hanamura had a point; the same one Take-Mikazuchi had been hammering into Kanji's head all morning, in a way that used no words but still somehow expressed how amazingly dumb the whole 'pretty' idea had been. After checking himself out in the bathroom mirror on his way to the showers, Kanji suspected the Persona might be on to something.

Could've been worse, though. Rise might've been a little off with this Marilyn chick - but as he stared down at a huddled, twin-tailed Yosuke, Kanji made a mental note to thank her for not going with the schoolgirl look.

"Oh man, this is so, _so_ gay," muttered Yosuke, head now buried in his hands.

Nope, not a schoolgirl. Way creepier. When Naoki had stammered out that he'd seen Hanamura hurtling through the gymnasium doors and into the girls' locker room, Kanji had taken the part about a plaid miniskirt and white knee-socks for an exaggeration.

"Gayer than a unicorn eating rainbows," Yosuke babbled. "Gayer than your Shadow in pink Spandex."

"Hell'd you just say?" Kanji growled. "Dammit, you're the one hidin' in the girls' showers!"

"Hiding in plain sight! It's the one place I figured Satonaka wouldn't look." Yosuke groaned out loud and smacked his palm against his forehead. "Why does she make me _do_ these things?"

"Because you signed her up for the pageant, idiot!"

"It's completely different! She doesn't get it, she's gonna look awesome and we're just a bunch of guys in freaking dresses!"

For a horrible moment, Kanji knew Yosuke was totally, absolutely, two hundred percent right. Maybe three.

...No way. It was just Hanamura - or Hanamura's skirt. Definitely the skirt. Red plaid was hard for anyone to pull off, and it'd probably come from Junes. Kanji shook his head, instinctively vowed he'd make a replacement (guy was totally an amber), then winced.

Yosuke gave a sympathetic nod. "Dude, I know. This is so awful. If I ever have another idea like that-"

"-then I should kick your dumb ass?"

"...Yeah, go ahead. Still beats cross-dressing." He glared down at his bright red ribbon collar. "It was a joke, you know? People rag on _me_ all the time."

When Kanji had first joined the team, Yosuke's welcome routine had consisted of two week's worth of jibes over bathhouses and pretty-boy detectives. Nothing had slowed him down - not Souji's quiet warnings, or Chie's punches to the shoulder, or even Kanji's open threats to hurl the jerk over the food court fence. The same jerk who, three weeks earlier, had fought through a small army of Shadows just to save some punk who'd chased him round a picnic table. Knowing that had only pissed Kanji off more. Finally, after a particularly bad team meeting at Junes, Chie had pulled him aside by the shoe lockers after school. _Don't let Hanamura get to you_, she'd said. Something about different people trying to make friends in different ways, even if those ways were all screwed up. Pretty familiar territory. Didn't make it any less annoying.

Kanji let out a sigh. "Yeah, I know. Now, you gonna get outta there or what?" he asked, reaching a hand down into the cubicle. After a moment's pause, Yosuke grabbed hold and pulled himself upright.

"How'd you find me, anyway?" he muttered. "Did Souji figure it out?"

"Nah, Konishi saw you. Naoki," Kanji added, then remembered the qualifier had been redundant for months.

"Figures. The guy hates me. Must run in the family." Arms folded, Yosuke leaned against the back wall of the shower cubicle. "Bet he's told the girls where I am, too."

Kanji shook his head. "Naoki don't hate anyone. And the girls ain't a problem, 'cause you're gonna go out there right now."

"Maybe I can drown myself before Satonaka breaks down the cubicle door."

Glancing at the shower faucet, Kanji briefly considered trying to help. It might force Hanamura outside. Tying all those ribbons into his hair must've taken Chie forever, though, and it seemed a shame to ruin her hard work. "Quit gripin'," he snapped. "You're a man, ain't ya?"

"Which is _totally_ why I need to prance around a stage in a skirt. And hey, after we're done with that, maybe we can go bake cookies!" Yosuke threw up his hands. "Then we'll sit on the sofa together, bust out some Witch Detective books and-"

Sometimes a man had to draw a line. Witch Detective was _awesome_ and Kanji was about to threaten to break Hanamura's legs if he even thought about ragging on it, when a voice came from somewhere near the changing room door. It was quiet, slightly nervous - and definitely female.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

Yosuke paled. "_Dude_."

"The hell-" Kanji managed, before Yosuke grabbed his arm, yanked him inside the cubicle and slammed the door.

"If-if there's someone in here," the voice asked, much closer this time, "then please say something?"

"...Shit, I know her!" Ayane Matsunga: fellow first-year, kind of skittish, played trumpet in a way that made Kanji wish the sewing club didn't meet so close to the music practice room. Rise had sworn up and down she had some sort of crush on him, which was probably just another boredom-induced product of the Kujikawa rumor mill but had still left Kanji feeling severely awkward.

An elbow smacked against his ribs. "Then answer!"

"She'll know I'm a guy, dumbass!" Kanji hissed.

"So pretend!" Yosuke hissed back.

"You've got the higher voice!"

"You're the one who thinks he looks pretty!"

"You like bein' a girl?" Kanji snarled. "Hope so - 'cause if you don't say something, I'm gonna rip your balls off!"

For a moment, Yosuke just glowered at him in silence - then rolled his eyes and turned back to the door. "H-hi!" he trilled. "What's up?"

"I-I just need to use that shower. The water heats up really slowly in the others." Ayane hesitated. "Um...are-are there two of you in there?"

"Yep!" Yosuke squeaked. "We're - uh - doing our hair! You know how long that takes!"

"...In a shower cubicle? Both of you?"

"Like, totally! Why waste water?"

In the brief pause that followed, Kanji swore he heard a giggle.

"But...the tap isn't running."

"C-conditioner. Gotta leave it on, right?" Yosuke stammered. Kanji wondered how he'd know. Kanji, right now, was wondering a lot of things, including just what Yasogami High's policy was on guys who were found in drag, in the girls' changing room, and in a shower with Yosuke Hanamura.

Again, Ayane paused. "Oh. Okay. I'll, um, just wait here then."

"No! I-I mean, my friend, she's like, so super-shy!" Hanamura's voice, shaky to start with, had begun to crack on every other word. "So you have to go away. Right now."

"But I-"

"Besides, you totally don't wanna see her, she's all hairy and lumpy and-"

In a split-second of blind rage, Kanji shoved Yosuke against the cubicle door. Fortunately, it gave way under the impact. Unfortunately, momentum sent Yosuke tumbling out of the shower with a high-pitched yelp, matched by Ayane's surprised squeak as he hit the floor by her feet.

Kanji cursed under his breath. Supposed to keep his temper, dammit, even with assholes who fully deserved to be shoved out a fifth-floor window instead of just a shower, and now he'd spooked Ayane too. Wasn't difficult, but still. "Sorry, Matsunga, I-"

"I dunno, Kanji-kun. Maybe Ayane-chan and me should apologize for interrupting?"

In retrospect, he should've twigged sooner. If a situation involved him being completely mortified, made to look like an idiot, or both, then it probably also involved Rise Kujikawa - who was standing behind Ayane, both hands gripping the other girl's shoulders.

Ayane's own hands were clapped over her eyes. "Tatsumi-kun, H-Hanamura-senpai, I'm so, so sorry! She made me do it!"

Rise beamed cheerfully. "Yep, my bad. I totally didn't realize we'd be disturbing your shower," she chirped, then shook her head. "If only I'd known you and Yosuke-senpai were so close!"

Kanji stared. On the floor, Yosuke seemed to be having some sort of seizure.

"You-you-" he spluttered, scrabbling to get up while holding down his skirt with one hand. "Rise, I-I swear, if you _ever_ tell anyone about this-!"

"Don't you worry, Yosuke-senpai," said Rise, with a wink that made Kanji re-evaluate Yosuke's drowning plan. "We'll leave you and Kanji-kun to your special alone time. Gotta make sure we get a good view for the pageant!"

Rise had started for the locker room door before she'd finished speaking, and if Kanji didn't know better, he'd have sworn she skipped the rest of the way. Ayane wasn't quite as fast, mostly because she apologized six more times before Rise pulled her out into the corridor - shooting Yosuke and Kanji one final grin before disappearing herself.

Yosuke stared after her, eyes wide in disbelief. "How can someone that cute be so...so..."

Usually, Kanji would've figured this for just a typical Rise prank - but twice in the same day, in quick succession? Something was up. Something he suspected would keep making his life more and more difficult.

"I mean, she's _Risette_!" Yosuke paused, swallowed - and, if possible, turned even paler. "And she's gonna tell the whole school you and I were showering together."

"No she ain't." Kanji hauled Yosuke up from the floor again, this time by his shoulders. "C'mon, we gotta get to the auditorium."

"Whatever, Tatsumi. It's alright for you, everybody already thinks you're-"

"Don't care," Kanji snapped. "And I ain't lumpy."

* * *

Kanji would've liked to track down Rise and figure out what the hell was up, or at least do more yelling - except it hadn't worked any of the other five billion times he'd tried and he was too busy dragging Yosuke across the sports field. Contest was due to start any moment, and no way was he missing it.

"We could hide on the roof," Yosuke was babbling. "They'd never look there."

Hell, he'd made himself a dress, shelled out a small fortune for a pair of custom heels, let Rise plaster him with eyeshadow and lipstick, and guaranteed Naoto would avoid him for the next ten years. He'd _earned_ this pageant.

"Or hey, just shove me in a locker, I don't-"

"Shut it," Kanji growled, trying to dislodge his left heel from the mud.

Hauling Hanamura made for slow going, and by the time they made it to the school building, the corridors were already deserted. As Kanji pulled Yosuke past the first-floor classrooms and toward the auditorium, the sound of a crackling speaker gradually grew louder.

"_…for the 'Miss' Yasogami High Contest, and our beautiful ladies are raring to go!"_

"Hey! Over here! The pageant's starting!"

Kanji glanced up. A short way past the auditorium entrance, a long-haired girl was standing in a narrow doorway, clutching a clipboard with one hand and waving with the other. He didn't know her name – only that Souji had made him and Yosuke lug a big-ass metal board down three floors of the bathhouse and to school the next day, just so she could fix up a desk.

Senpai did that sort of thing a lot.

Behind him, Yosuke let out a dramatic sigh. "Oh, _great_," he muttered. "One of Saki-senpai's friends. Probably already thinks I'm a freak, why not prove it?"

Didn't look that way to Kanji. If anything, the girl just seemed cross. "We ain't missed anything?" he asked her.

"Not yet." She traced a finger down her clipboard, lips pursed. "Let's see…Hanamura and Tatsumi. You guys are seriously late!"

"Sorry, Fujiwara-senpai," mumbled Yosuke.

Fujiwara ignored him with ease. "Go in here and up the stairs," she said, stepping away from the door, "and be ready to get onstage quickly, okay?"

Kanji ducked through the door - Yosuke still in tow and still muttering under his breath - and hobbled up a narrow flight of steps. At the top, Souji, Daisuke and a disgruntled-looking Kou were waiting in the left wing of the stage.

Kou let out a sigh. "Man, why didn't you guys drop out? Kashwagi might've let us leave too."

"Get real, Ichijo." Daisuke rolled his eyes. "The school could catch fire and she'd still have us out there in drag." He shrugged and turned to Yosuke. "Be glad it wasn't her who went looking for you - or Satonaka."

"Either of 'em would've got him quicker." Wouldn't have been trapped in a shower with him either, but Kanji decided to leave that part out.

"No harm done." Souji smiled cheerfully and clapped him on the shoulder. "By the way, you're the first two on-stage."

"_What_?" squawked Yosuke.

"You weren't here, Teddie still hasn't shown up, and Daisuke and Kou were about to take off too. It looked like I'd end up winning by default, so..."

"...you decided to make our lives even more miserable?"

"Stop whining, Hanamura. Not like you're gonna be alone up there." Daisuke tipped his head toward Kanji. "We told 'em to call Tatsumi out first."

"Uh," said Kanji.

_"She's a runaway express train who's Inaba born and bred, and can kill with both her fists and her looks! Presenting... Kanji-chan, of the first year Class _3!"

"Be a man, Tatsumi!" Daisuke roared, and shoved Kanji square in the center of his back.

Normally this wouldn't have mattered; Daisuke was a soccer player, not a brawler. Unfortunately, heels were way harder to walk in than Kanji had expected, especially when they were welded from lumps of metal which had probably been Shadow guts in a previous life. Off-balance, he staggered forward onto the brightly-lit stage - and the audience burst out laughing.

He'd expected some snide comments, a few sneers. Hell, those were easy. This wasn't, and it made him think of the kids back in middle school; the ones who'd poked fun when he answered wrong in class and laughed their asses off just because he'd sewn a girl's schoolbag back together. It figured that most of those morons would've moved on to Yasogami High too.

Even the asshole holding the mike was chuckling. "She's a vision of grace, isn't she?"

Part of Kanji wanted to toss the wig, kick off the damn shoes and make a break for it. Part of Kanji wanted to grab the nearest stage-lamp and beat the announcer round the head.

Part of Kanji, however, had just spotted Naoto standing in the audience and figured,_ why the hell not. _

Yeah, he could do this. Had it all in check. With the most confident walk he could manage in a pair of metal shoes, Kanji tottered to the center of the stage and leaned down to the microphone. "S'up!"

The laughter only grew louder. Whether the teachers had made attendance compulsory or whether most of the school just liked watching people suffer, he wasn't sure. It didn't seem all that relevant after he glanced back down at the third row - where, next to a beaming, waving Rise, Naoto was watching him with one hand on the brim of her cap. She definitely wasn't laughing. Okay, so she never did, but a guy took comfort where he could, right? Kanji would've taken it for a lot longer - Naoto had just pushed up her hat and gotten up on tiptoes to peer over the row in front - if the announcer hadn't started jabbering again.

"Now, don't rip me apart for asking, Kanji-chan-" - and here, Kanji mentally yelled that only Ma was allowed to call him that (quietly adding that Naoto would be totally cool too) - "-but what would you say is your best feature?"

His instinctive response - his fists, and the idiot was welcome to come over and get a close-up view - didn't seem lady-like. Couldn't go with his hair, either. What else could look pretty on someone? "Uh...my eyes?"

"Whoa - a conventional answer from this all-too-unconventional beauty! They're certainly captivating, Kanji-chan!"

One good swing of a lamp. Wasn't much to ask. Souji probably wouldn't understand, though, and Naoto would take it even worse, so Kanji settled for wobbling to the far end of the stage instead, muttering darkly and wishing everyone would quit laughing so hard. This wasn't going _anything_ like he'd hoped.

With a quick wink in his direction, the announcer turned back to the audience. "After such a strong start, I don't know how much of a chance the others have, but here's our second contestant!"

The sound of irregular footsteps came from somewhere off-stage, followed by an unhappy yelp.

"An eloquent heiress of the noble Junes, she's pure disappointment from the moment she opens her mouth! Presenting... Yosuke-chan, from the second-year Class 2!"

Chie had gone with knee socks and buckled black shoes, so Yosuke recovered from Daisuke's shove forward much more gracefully. Unfortunately, she'd also gone with a mini-skirt, and the front row of the audience was pressed up against the edge of the stage. Legs shut tight and hands clamped over his thighs, Yosuke wriggled his way to the microphone and made a feeble attempt at a smile. "H-Hi!"

This time the laughter was punctuated with yells of '_Junes_!'. Yosuke's flinch was visible from three meters away.

The announcer gestured toward him, sweeping a hand up and down. "You look ready to win in that outfit, Yosuke-chan! Do you often dress like this?"

"Hell no!" Yosuke snapped - then winced, coughed, and tried again in an even higher pitch. "Uh, like, no way!"

Hanamura still couldn't fake a girl's voice even if his life depended on it, but Kanji figured he deserved credit for trying. He wouldn't get it for anything else, judging by the jeers rising from the audience and the fact that Chie and Yukiko were practically bent double with laughter down in the second row. Asshole had brought it on himself, but Kanji couldn't help a vague twinge of pity.

"Of course, of course - and the ladies department at Junes must be so convenient. I'm sure you can give Kanji-chan a few tips, right?"

Somehow, this pissed Kanji off more than all the laughter combined. A team of monkeys could design better outfits than the stuff at Junes, and at least they might sew it together properly. He shot a quick glare at the announcer, followed by another at Hanamura, who was blushing six shades of red at once as he squirmed to the edge of the stage.

"This. Is. _Terrible_," he hissed.

"What's _with_ this?" Kanji muttered back, catching Rise's eye again and scowling as she blew him a kiss. "We're laughing stocks up here!"

Yosuke made a noise of disgust. "Dude, what did you think this was about?"

It figured, really. Kanji might've been cool with the dress thing at first, maybe even a little keyed up over it - but expecting everyone else to feel the same way ranked as one of his life's dumber moments.

...Screw'em. As he glanced down at the audience and watched Naoto grab hold of Rise's arm and yank it back down to her side, Kanji decided it was all totally worth it.

"Now for our third contestant! She has the mildly bitter tang of the city, and she's made more girls cry than there are stars in the sky. Presenting our transfer student who's been breaking hearts in the second-year Class 2, Souji-chan!"

Souji had walked on-stage before the announcer finished speaking, probably so Daisuke couldn't shove him out there first. As he made his way to the microphone, the few hecklers in the audience were drowned out by giggles and cheers - none of which could compete with Rise's squealed "_Go Senpai!_"

"I really hate him sometimes," Yosuke grumbled.

Souji approached the microphone, staff propped casually over one shoulder. "Hey."

"Wow, sounds like your entrance is causing quite a stir! Did you sign yourself up?"

"Of course. Being in a beauty pageant is one of my life goals."

The girls in the audience had started giggling again. Didn't sound anything like the way they'd been laughing before. Not for the first time, Kanji wondered exactly what it was that Senpai had and why nobody else did.

"I knew it. He finally cracked up," Yosuke muttered to Kanji, tapping his left temple. "Too many Personas."

"Any words for your adoring public?"

"Just that I hope you vote for me," Souji answered, then hesistated. "And, uh, sorry about all those broken hearts. Guess I'm a ladies'...lady."

"One with a competitive streak - and with that staff she's carrying, our other ladies had better watch out!" As Souji moved to the back of the stage, the announcer swept an arm toward the opposite wing. "I've already had about enough of this, but there's still more to come. It's two for the price of one with our fourth and fifth contestants, a pair of shy Shakespearean sweethearts who just can't stand to be apart - the enchanting Kou-chan from Class 2-3, and the equally radiant Daisuke-chan from Class 2-1!"

"What're you trying to say?" hollered Daisuke, dragging Kou on stage by his frilled shoulders.

"Fascinating outfits there, ladies! Can we expect to see you in this afternoon's costumed delights?"

Kou seemed to be trying to disappear into the ruffle around his neck. "Not in this get-up, and at least I die at the end."

"A great loss indeed!" The announcer turned to the audience. "Now, our beautiful girls _are_ supposed to demonstrate their charms one by one - but these two just insisted on being a couple. Daisuke-chan, Kou-chan, could you tell us why?"

Daisuke grabbed the microphone stand. "'Cause it's his fault I'm up here!" he yelled, with a sideways scowl at Kou and a painful screeching sound from the speakers around the hall.

"Dude! You're the one who wouldn't back down!" Kou snatched the stand from his grip. "It-it was a bet. A bet!"

"My, my...I think our ladies doth protest too much!" The announcer peered down at the paper in his hand. "Our final contestant is a last-minute, unaffiliated entrant. Calling herself 'King of the TV World', she's a cute, sexy little number!"

"This'll be great," whispered Yosuke. "Naoto-kun probably put him in a tux."

"Give a warm welcome to Teddie-chan!"

_"Gimme your hearts!" _

As one of the most adorable girls he'd ever seen pranced onto the stage, Kanji was torn between wondering where Naoto had learned to make a guy look so pretty (and whether it could've worked on him), and worrying that the pageant was about to answer his Big Question in a completely different way than he'd intended. Because Teddie looked…cute. Really cute. Weird blue dress or otherwise.

Forget Souji winning the contest. Teddie – a guy, Kanji reminded himself, a freaking fuzzy _bear - _was on a whole other level.

"This is so utterly disturbing," muttered Souji, while Yosuke twitched, coughed, then pointedly looked away.

For the first time that day, the announcer wasn't smirking. "So, uh, Teddie-chan!" he choked, eyes glaring holes in his paper. "W-What's it like being royalty?"

"It's great!" Teddie chirped. A few stray sparkles glittered around his head. "People give me dresses and Topsicles and yellow scarves and I get to score with princesses like Yuk-"

The rest was lost in a muffled squeak. Souji had yanked Teddie away from the microphone with one hand clamped over the bear's mouth, still wearing a bright and completely unconvincing smile. "Sorry. Competitive streak."

"Well. If Souji-chan can calm herself down long enough, then it's time to ask our audience to pick a winner! Which of these blushing beauties captured your hearts? Ladies, please leave the stage!"

* * *

"The girls," Yosuke said weightily, "can never, ever punish us again."

Kanji grunted in response, not wanting to release the thread clenched between his teeth.

"Seriously, this is payback for everything. The campout, the contest, even the stuff we haven't thought about doing yet."

"That _you_ haven't. And you'd better not." Souji was slumped in a beat-up director's chair, freshly returned from a ten-minute lecture on Things Bears Don't Say In Public. It explained why he kept kneading his knuckles against his forehead – and probably why Teddie hadn't come back to the prop room with him. Meanwhile, Kanji had spent most of the break desperately trying to reattach the various parts Kou had torn off his dress in the scramble to beat Daisuke backstage, and wishing Senpai had stuck around to help. Daisuke had tried, even volunteering a few safety-pins to fix up the lace hem, in what would've been a nice gesture if they hadn't been holding his corset together.

Didn't help that Kou was still wearing the fricking dress, either. "Quit squirming, dammit!"

"Then quit using my arm as a pin-cushion," grumbled Kou. "Dunno why you're even bothering. That exchange student's gonna walk this one anyway."

"Yeah." Daisuke sighed, in what didn't sound much at all like disappointment. "Dude, he looked so-"

Yosuke coughed, loudly.

"...Looked what?" Kou's voice had halved in volume and doubled in pitch.

"Uh. You know."

"No I don't," Yosuke quickly answered.

"Right! Right." Daisuke nodded a little too eagerly. "Me too. Uh, neither."

Everything went quiet after that – and when a slightly sulky Teddie showed up a few minutes later, it got quieter still. Kanji concentrated on pinning the last few scraps of lace to Kou's sleeves, feeling happily reassured. He was just about done when Fujiwara peered around the door to the prop room, clipboard still in hand.

"You're up, guys," she said as she waved them out the door. "They've counted the votes. I can't wait to see who won!"

Teddie immediately brightened and tried to wrap himself around Souji's arm. "Neither can Teddie! Ultimate victory awaits!"

All six filed back out onto the stage, with Kanji stuck going first again - but at least he'd prepped himself this time. If he concentrated hard enough on glaring at the back wall, he barely even noticed the audience snickering.

The announcer stood by the curtain, microphone in one hand and a bright pink rosette in the other. "Ladies, you'll be happy to know that all the votes are in! The winner of this year's 'Miss' Yasogami pageant is…"

Deep down, Kanji had already accepted failure – but he still held his breath.

"...the random contestant who won everybody's hearts, Ms. Teddie!"

With a whoop of joy, Teddie punched the air with both hands. "Team Teddie's dream is accomplished!"

Winning would've been awesome, no matter how much flak he'd have taken – but Kanji's pang of disappointment faded quickly. Ted deserved this one. Besides, it was kind of like Naoto had won too, right?

"As our champion, Ms. Teddie, you'll receive a very special prize. Later this afternoon, you'll be an honorary judge in the Miss Yasogami Pageant - with actual beauties, this time!"

"An honorary judge? That's _it?_" Yosuke's expression darkened. "Ten million yen wouldn't make this worthwhile."

Kanji shrugged. "I dunno. Ted seems happy." Happy enough to keep skipping across the stage, even though the announcer kept trying to give him the rosette.

"Ted's an idiot!"

"The long-awaited day has finally come!" Teddie twirled in place, blond hair flowing behind him. "I decree that one of the judging criteria later this afternoon will be…a swimsuit competition!"

"I take it all back," breathed Yosuke, awestruck.

The audience erupted into a mixture of cheers and giggles - yet somehow, over it all, Kanji could still hear Chie's furious yell. _"Over my dead body!"_

"Or over Teddie's." Souji was rubbing his forehead again. "I don't know why I bother."

Wait. _Wait_.

Naoto was still in the contest, right?

"Teddie, you - you - c'mon, he can't just do that!"

Naoto. Swimsuit.

"It's called karma, Satonaka! Look it up!"

Kanji swore his nose had started to bleed.

Problem was that he couldn't check, since he'd frozen solid at some point in the past fifteen seconds.

"I swear, Hanamura, I am _so _going to - ugh, what is _wrong_ with you guys?"

_Think of something else, Tatsumi._ Anything else. Kittens. Sunsets. Tuesday morning's Physics class.

Naoto Shirogane in a-

All of Yosuke and Chie's yelling, all of the audience's laughter, none of it had made a dent - until something landed on his shoulder and held tight. Kanji was snapped back to awareness, soon enough to both avoid bursting a blood vessel and feel just a little resentful.

"…Time to wake up, Tatsumi," Souji was saying, hand still gripping Kanji's shoulder. "I've got another lecture to give."


	24. Chapter 19

_A/N: Longer between updates than I'd like, but it beats 15 months...working on cutting it down. Not sure if this chapter turned out well. Next part is a Naoto interlude.  
_

_Story so far: Inaba's least eligible bachelorettes fumbled their way through the 'Miss' Yasogami contest, and Rise still somehow managed to make Kanji's life even worse._

_In this part: Naoto's not much of a brawler, Kanji finally gets a clue, and Yosuke is Teddie's biggest fan._

* * *

**October 30th, 2011**

Souji leaned on his staff, idly twirling a plait. "Well, that was interesting."

"I think you mean horrifying," Yosuke corrected with a derisive snort. "Or hideous, or atrocious, or - gimme a sec, I'll go ask Naoto-kun for more adjectives."

Given the look on her face at the end of Teddie's victory speech, Kanji suspected most of Naoto's current vocabulary would be unrepeatable even by his standards. He was personally torn between handing the bear a medal and hurling him in the nearest television, because while Naoto in a swimsuit was way more than he'd expected to see, it risked being way too much. Kanji hadn't known it was possible for something to be too awesome, or someone, especially if that someone was-

The thought was cut off by a streak of yellow and blue flying across the auditorium and flinging itself round Souji's waist. "Sensei! Wasn't Teddie-chan pretty?"

"Of course you were," Souji agreed, using his free arm to smack a spluttering Yosuke in the shoulder.

"Aren't you gonna ditch that outfit?" Daisuke asked Teddie, eyes wide. He, Kou and Yosuke had fallen over each other racing to the changing room after the contest; miniskirts and meringue dresses just weren't made for running in. Kanji had beaten them there walking. Souji, for some reason, hadn't bothered to change at all.

Teddie tipped his head. "Maybe. Can I keep my hair like this?"

"It's a nice look, but save it for special occasions." A blonde girl walked up beside them - one of the second-years, Kanji thought - and shot Souji a quick smile which immediately shifted into a smirk at Daisuke and Kou. "Both lost the bet, huh?"

"Yeah, and it's all your fault." Kou jabbed a thumb toward his chest. "I would've made an awesome girl if I'd had the right help."

"Funny, I worked on this little doll and he turned out just fine."

Kanji glanced at Teddie, who was still clinging to Souji's dress. "Thought Naoto was helpin' you?"

Teddie nodded toward the girl. "Ai-chan did most of it. Nao-chan drew stuff on my face." His forehead creased in thought. "Oh, but she also gave me-"

"C'mon, Sparkles," Ai cut in, ushering Teddie away. "We need to get that makeup off before it clogs your pores. Bye, Souji."

As Teddie and Ai wandered off, hand-in-hand, Kanji frowned at Souji. "You said you were gonna yell at him."

Guilt flickered over Souji's face. "...I, uh, reconsidered."

"Translation!" crowed Yosuke, still tugging the ribbons out of his hair. "Souji finally remembered he's a guy and that girls in swimsuits are awesome."

"...It's not like that."

Gaze distant and dreamy, Yosuke ignored him. "I'm telling you, Ted's a genius."

'Genius' didn't quite fit. Kanji couldn't think of a word that did, only that lately it might also apply to Rise.

"One with seriously weird taste in clothes, though." Yosuke grimaced. "What was he going for, the maid look?"

"Yours weren't no better," Kanji pointed out. Seriously, _red plaid_.

"Hey, at least I didn't look like I'd wandered out of the red light district!"

Souji poked him with the staff. "No, but you were the only one wearing a short skirt."

"Dude, that's _low_." Yosuke frowned, wounded. "You seriously think I chose that getup?"

"I picked mine."

"How? You were with Yukiko, and she-"

"-wanted to put me in a pink yukata and make me hold a parasol," Souji finished. "We reached a compromise."

Kanji had spent the conversation staring at Senpai's outfit; he'd definitely seen it before. "You look like someone. Late-night movie I saw. Girl was swinging a sword around trying to kill these killer bat kinda-"

"_Chiroptera_," Souji blurted, then quickly looked away. "I, uh, saw the film. Once. Years ago."

Yosuke raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Anything to do with those vampire books I found under your - ow!"

"C'mon, Souji-senpai, don't break your props!" Rise ducked into the center of the group and pulled the wooden staff back from Yosuke's ribs. "You need them for your photos!"

Souji nodded. "Good point. Want to do them now?"

"I gotta borrow Kanji-kun first." She swiveled toward Kanji, who glowered back down at her. "You've got a few minutes to help Risette, right? It's about Naoto-kun," she added, voice sing-song.

After her two stunts today, Kanji had every intention of telling Rise to go get bent, or at least bother Senpai instead. But dammit, Naoto was involved. What if it was important?

Scratch that. Everything involving Naoto was important. "Fine - but I'm only doing this to keep you off my back, yeah?"

Smirking, Rise grabbed his sleeve and tugged him toward the auditorium door - or at least, he let her do it.

"I'm still pissed," he muttered as he followed her out into the corridor. "You've been actin' up all morning."

"Gonna have to get used to it some day, Kanji-kun. And you get to help out Naoto-kun, so I _know_ you're gonna be interested."

Help? Was Naoto in trouble? And if she was, why wasn't Rise more freaked out? "...You better not be screwing with me, Rise."

As they rounded the corner, Rise flashed him a brilliant smile, then pointed down the hall.

A few meters ahead, Chie was standing outside the guys' bathroom, hands on hips and a frown on her face. "It's not like I wanna do this either, Naoto-kun! It's the principle of the thing!"

Rise nudged him in the arm. "Go in there and drag Naoto-kun out, okay? Chie-senpai's been yelling at her through the door for the past five minutes and she's totally ignoring us."

Kanji couldn't blame her. Chie was now midway through a string of idle threats, broken only when three third-year boys shoved past her and into the bathroom. She glared at them, then at the closing door - and then, for some reason, at Kanji.

Seriously? This didn't seem like _helping_ Naoto at all.

"I'm telling you, we've got to stick together on this," Chie insisted, while Yukiko squeezed her shoulder consolingly. "We're supposed to be a team, and Kashiwagi and Ohtani - you saw it, they're gonna - ugh!"

Rise waved her hand toward Kanji. "It's okay, Chie-senpai, I brought Kanji-kun! Gotta go now, Souji-senpai promised to keep his dress on until I took photos. Later!" she called out, already darting back down the corridor.

"..Hey, hold on." Chie's brow furrowed with confusion. "I thought she was gonna ask _him_ to help us." She turned to Kanji. "Well, whatever, it's pretty simple. You just need to make Naoto-kun get out here."

Kanji frowned at the bathroom door, wondering how anyone could ever persuade Naoto to do anything she didn't want. "Can't one'a you guys get her?"

Chie frowned at him. Yukiko gave a polite cough.

"It's the boys' bathroom, Kanji-kun," she said quietly.

"Yeah, but-"

"You and Naoto-kun get along now, right?" Chie waved a hand toward the door, as if to emphasize that all this was now Kanji's responsibility. "C'mon, the pageant's starting soon!"

At any another time and in any another situation, Kanji would've just stormed off. But this was Naoto, who he couldn't just abandon and who he still really wanted to be in the damn pageant, even if he shouldn't. Hell, he'd spent the morning pressed up against Yosuke Hanamura in a shower cubicle and gone squishy over a cross-dressing Teddie. He deserved some sort of reassurance, and the sort he needed - one that would cover both the past six months and the doubts he'd been swallowing long before - would be hard to come by. The pageant was his best shot.

Problem was, Naoto _really_ didn't want to take part.

Yukiko's hand landed gently on his forearm. "I'm sure you can talk Naoto-kun round, Kanji-kun. We'd be very grateful."

That one comment settled it. He'd risk Chie's nerve-wracked wrath, but an unhappy Yukiko was a deal-breaker - especially if Ma ever found out. With a shake of his head and a grunt he figured might pass for agreement, Kanji pushed open the bathroom door.

This was gonna end badly. He'd say something stupid, Naoto would get all prickly, and then everyone would be mad at him for messing up. The best solution he'd thought of so far was telling her to stay right where she was; she'd probably be out like a shot. Or he could just go get Souji, like Rise should've done begin with. Instead he was stuck trying to talk Naoto out of a funk while Rise whirled Senpai through a photo shoot - which, thinking about it, was probably exactly the outcome she'd-

"-and I don't see why this is an issue."

It was Naoto's voice, low and tight. Standing in the passage between the door and the main bathroom, Kanji almost didn't catch it. The one that followed - and that he didn't recognize - was louder. "Because you ain't allowed in here."

"I used this restroom for most of the semest-"

"Only 'cause you were lying." Same voice again, and others were murmuring underneath. "Thought we were stupid, right?"

Kanji took a step forward on instinct, but caught himself before the second.

Maybe it wasn't how it sounded. He'd been here before, or at least somewhere close to it, and he was sick of Naoto yelling at him.

"I have no quarrel with any of you," Naoto was saying. "Please step aside."

"C'mon, Shirogane! You wanna be a guy, then you've gotta fight like one."

Kanji stormed round the corner before he had chance to think.

He could barely see Naoto for the bunch of third-years crowded around her at the far end of the bathroom. No idea who most of them were, save for the guy in the middle. Kanji might not have remembered the voice, but he knew the face. One of the punks who always kicked up a racket outside Aiya late at night. Sonoda or something. Wasn't like it mattered.

Kanji stepped forward, hands already balled into tight fists. "You got a problem, asshole?"

Naoto darted a glance toward him, then gestured impatiently toward the door. "Kanji-kun, there's no need to-"

"What, you here to save little Shirogane-kun? Figures." Sonoda's mouth curled into a sneer. "Queers stick together."

Two strides across the bathroom and one good punch would've settled it - but in the instant it took to reach her side, Naoto had moved between Kanji and Sonoda. She stared up at him, eyes narrowed dangerously. "Kanji, you _aren't_ helping."

"You heard your boyfriend, 'Kanji-kun'," Sonoda jeered. "You seriously think I'm scared of someone who just went up on stage in a dress?"

At that, the cronies all started sniggering. Kanji clenched his jaw, tried and failed to unclench his fists - spineless bastards, at least Sonoda had the guts to speak up - then felt a hand latch onto his forearm.

Naoto shot him another warning glare, then looked up at Sonoda. "Leave him alone. He's done nothing to you."

"Bet he's done plenty to _you_, the queer."

"You appear to be preoccupied with that word." Her tone was one Kanji hadn't heard since the summer; all superiority and crisp contempt. "Some sort of complex, perhaps?"

She hadn't finished the last word before Sonoda had jerked her forward by her shirt collar and pinned her against the wall. He hadn't finished pulling back his fist before Kanji grabbed his arm and wrenched it at the elbow, harder than he might've intended and not nearly as hard as he'd have liked.

Sonoda yelped and tried to twist with the motion, bringing them face-to-face - or rather, one face tilted up to meet the other.

Kanji scowled down at him. "You _want_ me to beat the shit outta you?"

There were murmurs around them, a few shuffled feet, but none of Sonoda's so-called friends stepped in.

Naoto did. "Kanji, let him go!"

"But he-"

"I said,_ let him go_." Her hand was back on his arm, clutching the sleeve of his shirt. "Now."

Later that night, Kanji would mentally kick himself for backing down so easily - but right then, he let his grip go slack.

As Sonoda yanked his arm away with a visible wince, Naoto squared her shoulders and pointed to his chest. "You. Leave. Unless you would prefer a visit to the Inaba police station?"

Glaring back at her, breathing hard, Sonoda hesitated - _just try it_, Kanji thought - then, after a moment, turned away.

Naoto gave a curt nod, followed by a sharp, backhanded motion toward the other four boys. "The same applies to the rest of you."

Nobody answered. They shuffled and fidgeted instead, nervous glances skimming over her and Kanji and never quite settling on Sonoda. Eventually, one of them - to Kanji's mind, the closest thing to a real man in a bad bunch - stepped forward, placed a hand on Sonoda's shoulder, and nodded toward the exit.

The group filed out into the corridor without a word or even a glance back - except for Sonoda. The brief sneer he shot at Kanji shifted into a longer glare at Naoto, and when he opened his mouth as if to speak, Kanji had to fight the urge to shove a fist straight in. Fortunately for Sonoda, his one friend pulled him round the corner into the passageway, and whatever retort he wanted to make never made it past his lips. Instead the only sound was a closing door, leaving Kanji and Naoto standing opposite each other in awkward silence.

Kanji had expected her to yell at him. If the alternative was this - her glaring at the floor and biting her lip, him still clenching his fists to hold himself in place - then he really wished she would. But the silence just stretched out longer and tighter, and when he found himself contemplating punching a mirror just to break the tension, he finally caved. "You alright?"

"There was no need for-" Naoto snapped, like he'd flipped a switch, then stopped just as suddenly. When she spoke again, her voice was level and cool. "I had the situation perfectly in hand. You are already on academic probation, an incident like this could-"

"But he tried t'-"

"The idiot simply pushed me. Your reaction was unnecessary."

The only thing that hadn't been necessary was Naoto's smart mouth. It was going to get her in serious trouble. Hell, it already had - which was equally bad news for Kanji, because it meant he'd have to trail around after her for the rest of his life beating down people she'd pissed off and hoping she wouldn't notice. He stared at the mirror, running a hand through his hair. "Look, coming in here...people, they _know_ about you now."

"A fact of which I am quite aware. I made a snap decision, correctly predicting Chie-senpai and Yukiko-senpai wouldn't follow." It would've been smug even for Naoto, if she hadn't quietly added, "I didn't anticipate them sending you."

"Good thing they did."

Naoto had moved to stand against the opposite the wall, her back ramrod straight. "That was not my first encounter with Sonoda. His behavior is irrelevant." In the mirror, Kanji watched her fold her arms tightly over her chest. "Particularly right now."

Even if he'd wanted to stay mad at her - and honestly, he sort of did - something in her expression caught Kanji. Couldn't say what it was, exactly - but given the situation, it wasn't difficult to work out.

He sighed. "That bad, huh?"

Naoto gave him a questioning look.

"The contest," he continued, turning away from the mirror to face her. "S'why you're hiding in here."

"I'm _not_ hiding." The words were quick, crisp, and totally unconvincing. Reflex, Kanji figured. Like jerking your hand away from a fire.

"Quit pretending, alright?" Then, a little softer - because she really did look like she was going to yell at him now, or worse - "Nobody'd blame you."

"I wasn't-" she began, then stopped with a tiny shake of her head.

"C'mon. I already had to talk one guy out of a bathroom today and you're way tougher than Hanamura."

Naoto managed something close to a half-smile, but didn't answer. She still wouldn't look Kanji in the eye.

"You don't hafta be in it," he said, his own gaze shifting to one of the stall doors. "Told you that already." _I just want you to be. _

Like she'd care what he wanted. Kanji hated feeling so sorry for himself - so his crush dropped out of a beauty pageant, big deal - but he'd built this up into way more than he ever should. His final answer. Worse, he hadn't let the idea go, even after Naoto had said outright she didn't want to take part. Honestly, he'd tried, but every time he tried to push the thought away it twisted and tangled into something else: the feeling that Naoto had screwed him up for months by lying and needed to fix it. She owed him, right?

...Except she didn't, because he hadn't told her any of that crap and because it'd been stuck in his head long before she ever set foot in Inaba. Kanji had the sudden suspicion that he'd been missing the point - and that his Big Question wouldn't and couldn't be solved by somebody who still hadn't found the answer to their own.

Naoto hadn't spoken. When he glanced up, she was looking toward the door. "I don't wish to disappoint anyone," she finally muttered, her fingers curling absently around her left cuff. "Or to contradict Seta-senpai."

Kanji frowned. "He said you couldn't drop out?"

"Of course not! Senpai would never-" Naoto stopped short and tipped up her chin, brave and defiant. The overall effect would've inspired another one of Kanji's soft and gooey moments, if he hadn't suddenly felt so sick. "He _isn't_ like that."

"Right, right." 'Course Senpai wasn't. Wouldn't try to push Naoto into anything. Wouldn't be wishing he could, either. "Heard you guys were gettin' along. Hangin' out."

"Seta-senpai is assisting me with a personal matter. A minor one." Her eyes had fixed on a floor tile a step or so to Kanji's left. "Nothing significant."

Kanji wanted to ask exactly what _would_ be, because 'personal' was dangerously close to 'none of your business', and that sounded pretty damn significant to him. He knew better than to actually do it. "Naoto...at least come outside, yeah?" he tried. "Contest won't be that bad. Ours was alright."

Naoto stared at him.

"Okay, it sucked. But s'over now and nobody's gonna laugh at you like they did us."

"Neither Rise nor I were laughing. But this - it - it's different for you." She pressed her palm to her forehead, eyes closed. "And this additional section! What was Teddie thinking?"

Kanji was pretty certain he knew the answer to that, but opted to stay quiet.

"He can't declare such a change unilaterally," Naoto continued, rapid and firm. "It will have to go to a vote, I'm absolutely not - this is _ridiculous_, Kanji, we have a murder case to pursue and we're wasting time on a pointless spectacle!"

Same conversation they'd had back on top of the hill, and she hadn't liked his answer then. Kanji hesitated, watching her pace back and forth in front of the mirror and wondering if he should just keep his mouth shut. By her third lap, he figured that wasn't going to work. "Hey...what's wrong?"

Naoto stopped dead, glanced up at him for a half-second, then turned and leaned forward against the bathroom counter.

"I-I thought I could - the contest, it didn't seem so bad before." Both her hands were gripping the counter's edge. "But this - there's no way, I don't care how much Chie-senpai threatens me or what Seta-senpai says or what you -" The sentence ended with a sharp shake of her head.

"Rise'll be up there with you," Kanji offered. "She don't mind."

Naoto's glare could have withered a cactus. "Of course she doesn't. Her sole complaint has been that she hadn't known to bring her own swimsuit."

"...Yeah, s'true. But it ain't all bad, y'know?"

"You don't -" she began, but again immediately stopped. The anger in her voice now sounded closer to frustration. "My situation is different to both yours and Rise-chan's."

Deep down, Kanji knew that already. Knew he didn't fully understand it, too.

But he still wanted to see Naoto up there. Boy, girl, Kanji just liked _looking_ at her, even if he rarely had the guts to do it and even though she'd probably shoot him if she ever realized he was trying. And who'd fault him? Hell, even Souji had admitted he was enjoying the contest, no matter how indirectly.

Souji also would've figured out what to do about Naoto. But Kanji wasn't Souji, and he suspected he was just making things worse. Besides, the pageant was gonna happen whether Naoto turned up or not.

He nodded toward the door. "I-I can tell the others, if you like. That you're not gonna show."

At this, Naoto looked uncertain - which wasn't Naoto at all. A long pause stretched out before she finally straightened and turned toward the door. "No," she said firmly. "No, I'm being childish. I will go."

"Okay. I mean, if y'want." Kanji couldn't match her conviction. On one level, this was what he wanted; on another, he knew he probably shouldn't; and on another still, he wished he could just jump in the TV, smash a bunch of Shadows and forget the whole thing.

Naoto had a knack for making his head hurt.

"I will go," she repeated. "But…thank you for the offer. And while I cannot and will not condone your entirely unnecessary behavior toward Sonoda, I...appreciated the assistance." With that, she turned and walked toward the bathroom door.

On impulse, Kanji reached out a hand. "H-Hey, wait a sec."

Naoto stopped at the corner of the corridor and glanced back over her shoulder.

There was something he was supposed to say - something that would help Naoto feel better, show that he _got _it, at least bits and pieces. Something that would prove he wanted to get the rest of it and might even manage to do so, if she'd just open up a little.

Souji would've known. Kanji wasn't Souji.

He dropped his hand to his side. "Good luck, yeah?"

Naoto looked at him for a long moment, then gave a slight nod. "Thank you, Kanji-kun."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Kanji was standing in the Yasogami High auditorium and trying very hard to pretend he was super-cool about this whole thing (just a pageant, just a few girls he knew, just Naoto Shirogane potentially in a swimsuit and holy crap, who was he kidding.)

Somewhere to his left, Souji was grumbling. "Look, the lights are still up, we could go grab lunch. I made beef stew. More or less."

Yosuke started talking too, something about a good spot in the audience compensating for his inner pain, but Kanji wasn't really paying attention. Couldn't afford to miss anything. Even though the stage was still empty. Even though Naoto might not show up, despite what she'd said back in the boys' restroom - or because of what she hadn't.

It might've made him sick with jealousy, but Kanji still half-wished Rise had sent Souji to help Naoto instead. Souji _got_ people. Kanji didn't and he'd learned to live with that, at least until Naoto had showed up. Now he needed a translator, or an instruction manual, or _something_ that would tell him how she worked, because he was quickly getting tired of trying to figure it out. Dammit, he just wanted to be friends.

...Fine, so that was a lie. But hell, it was Naoto. Kanji knew he was blameless, just like he knew that 'friends' was all he could hope for.

"I didn't think you'd be so into this, Kanji-kun."

It took a couple of seconds for him to react, and one more for him to realize Naoki was standing at his side. "Oh. Hey."

Naoki nodded toward the front of the auditorium. "Looking forward to the contest?"

Outright denial wouldn't work. Playing it cool was hopeless too, but Kanji gave it a shot. "Uh, yeah. Wh-who wouldn't be?"

"Yeah. It's pretty exciting."

Naoki didn't say anything else after that. The silence wasn't really awkward, just unexpected. Kanji, unsure how to break it, let his attention drift back to the stage.

"So. Is - is it for all the girls? Or just one?"

Kanji froze. "Whaddya mean?"

"Just - you know. Kujikawa, she's always talking." Naoki sighed and rolled his eyes. "At me, anyway." He hesitated. "And Seta-senpai said something too."

"Rise says a lot of stuff." Senpai didn't. Kanji wasn't sure why he ever would.

"Shirogane. The one who, uh, used to be a boy. Kinda." Naoki looked up at him, then back at the stage. "That's who, right?"

Kanji swallowed. "...Rise tell you that?"

"Not really. I asked her if you, you know. Liked anyone. She said yeah, but she wouldn't say who, and Seta-senpai wouldn't either. But after that - well, Shirogane's the only one you look _different_ around." Naoki nudged Kanji with his elbow, offering him a small smile. "You've always been bad at hiding stuff."

It was the truth. Part of Kanji cringed at the thought that he was so damn obvious - that all it took was someone paying a little attention, even if the one person he wanted to never did - but the rest felt a weird sense of relief. Even with all the other stuff she pulled, Rise didn't spill secrets. More importantly, neither did Senpai.

"M-maybe. I dunno." Kanji tried for a casual shrug, but the muscles in his shoulders felt too taut. "Been goin' on a while. Not like anything'll happen."

"She'll figure it out. She's a detective, right?"

"Yeah." And a terrible one when it came to Kanji, who still didn't understand how somebody with two dozen successful cases under their belt hadn't noticed a crush that had to be visible from space.

Maybe it was for the best. Rejection hurt, and rejection from Naoto would be ten times worse.

...But shouldn't he just get it over and done with, if it was gonna happen anyway?

The thought was going nowhere good. Kanji was happy to let it slide as the lights finally dimmed and the announcer walked on to the stage.

"Welcome back, everyone, to the Culture Festival main event! It's time for the highlight of the day - the _real_ Miss Yasogami Pageant!" The announcer paused until the heavy burst of applause had faded. "Our first contestant is from the second-year Class 2 - Ms. Hanako Ohtani!"

Being the first one out was tough - something Kanji knew from bitter experience - but Ohtani didn't seem fazed. She marched right up to the microphone, and to Kanji's surprise, a few cheers rose from the audience. Okay, so Yosuke was making gagging noises, but they were quickly cut off by what sounded a lot like Souji's elbow smacking into his ribs.

"Hi, I'm Hanako Ohtani. And remember, the first is always the best," she added with a smirk, while Kanji's mind automatically replaced 'the first' with 'whichever number Naoto is'. Ohtani didn't stand a chance. Still, he couldn't help but respect anyone who just barreled on through no matter what other people thought, even if they were kind of awful sometimes (and, according to Chie, snored loud enough to drown out cargo trucks rolling down a highway.)

"Good for you! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?"

"I'm into old movies. Historicals, stuff like that, where they're all dressed up. I also like fashion and shopping."

"And eating," Yosuke muttered. Souji elbowed him again.

"Thank you, Hanako! Now, our next contestant is -" The announcer paused and stared at the clipboard in his hand. "Uh...I thought the contest was only for stu-"

"Hello there, boys!" Kashiwagi trilled. She sashayed across the stage, heels clicking against wood with each step, and leaned down to the microphone. Down _and_ forward.

"Dude, that's just _wrong_," Yosuke hissed.

Kashiwagi's lessons had taken on legendary status in Yasogami High - not only because she was way too interested in the sort of human biology that involved her male students, but also because the neckline of her blouse plunged deeper with each passing year. Today smashed all previous records. Kanji, by nature a charitable guy, told himself that all those missing buttons had just fallen off somewhere and she hadn't noticed.

"I hope you'll do the right thing and vote for the only real woman here," Kashiwagi purred, tilting even further forward with a smile that made Kanji think of piranhas. "_Especially_ those of you looking to make up for your mid-terms."

Yosuke paled. "...They, uh, don't record individual votes, right?"

The announcer waved nervously toward the end of the stage. "Ah…w-well! Thank you, Kashiwagi-sensei! Uh, next - w-we have Ms. Chie Satonaka, also of the second-year Class 2! Hurry on out, Chie!"

Honestly, Kanji hadn't known what to expect from the pageant. Dresses, he'd guessed. Glitzy stuff. But Ohtani had just worn a pink blouse and grey skirt - and Chie didn't look that different either. Sportswear, like the stuff that he'd seen her in outside of school and heard Hanamura tease her for never branching out from. Wouldn't hurt if she did; Kanji could think of a few designs that would really hang well on her.

Even so, she definitely looked good. She also looked pretty spooked, and her walk to the microphone was almost a jog, but she still managed a bright smile. Cheers rose up from the audience - and on the far side of the auditorium, Kanji saw Kou trying to climb on top of Daisuke to get a better look.

Yosuke, however, hadn't said a word. Kanji, who'd finally worked out what Rise had meant about little boys and girls throwing bugs at each other, figured he might know why.

Up on stage, Chie grabbed the mike stand with both hands. "Hi, I'm Chie Satonaka!"

"Chie, tell us a bit about yourself!"

"Um, well, I'm kinda shy and reserved. I like-" Chie stopped short, hesitated, then smiled again. "I, uh, like long walks on the beach, and my favorite food is...pudding!"

"Inaba's two hours from the ocean," Yosuke pointed out, back to his usual self.

Souji shrugged. "There's always the Samegawa."

"Whatever. It's not pudding I end up buying her at Junes!"

"Thank you very much, Chie! Up next, yet another contestant from Class 2, Ms. Yukiko Amagi!"

Though the cheers were just as loud, Yukiko's entrance was somehow a lot quieter. She crossed the stage in short, quick steps and paused in front of the microphone, hands clasped behind her back.

Her, Kanji had been a little curious about. Yukiko had been a familiar face throughout his childhood, but either they'd been at school or she'd been visiting the shop on inn business. Always in some kind of uniform. Dumb as it was, he'd only recently gotten used to the idea that an off-duty Yukiko existed. One with pretty good taste, too; those tall black boots definitely suited her.

"H-hello, my name is Yukiko Amagi." Yukiko paused and glanced toward Chie, looking just a little lost - then straightened her back. "My-my family runs the Amagi Inn, so if you ever find yourself in the area, please give us a visit. Our hot springs are open to the public year-round, so whenever you're in the mood to enjoy them, please drop by."

Souji chuckled and shook his head. "I knew it. Always a professional."

"I signed _her_ up for the contest, not the inn," Yosuke grumbled.

Speech over, Yukiko stepped in line next to Chie - who'd noticed the icy glare Kashiwagi was giving her friend and was returning it in kind. When Ohtani noticed _that_, she shot Chie a look that could melt diamond. Yukiko apparently hadn't noticed anything at all.

"That might count as free advertising, but it'll do nicely!" The announcer swept his arm toward the opposite side of the stage. "Next up, a very familiar face from the first-year Class 2, Ms. Rise Kujikawa!"

The moment Rise appeared, the atmosphere shifted. The audience, or at least the male contingent, broke out into whooping and clapping, and she had to wait at the mike for a few seconds for the cheers to die down. Never mind the stage lamps; her smile could have lit up the whole auditorium.

Kanji had known she'd handle this just fine. After coaxing Naoto out of hiding, he'd arrived back at the auditorium to find Rise still taking photos of Souji and jabbering excitedly about how she hoped he'd vote for her in the contest. Never actually asked outright, of course, and Souji hadn't ever answered.

Rise pulled the handheld mike from its stand, then stepped closer to the front of the stage. "Hi-hi!" she trilled, waving at the audience. "My name's Rise Kujikawa!"

Damn, she was cute. Kanji hadn't really looked at her that way before, seeing as she spent most of her time trying to ruin his life, but now he could understand the wild applause. The tailor in him wasn't keen on the outfit - Rise's taste in colors verged on garish - but it didn't matter. Girl could've stuck with her store apron and gotten the same thrilled reception. You either had it or you didn't, Kanji decided, and immediately thought of Souji.

"I haven't been in town very long," Rise continued, as Kashiwagi and Ohtani both glared holes in her back, "but it's a great place and I'm one hundred percent thrilled to be here!"

To his left, Kanji heard a soft, impressed sound from Souji.

Yosuke practically giggled. "Dude, she is _so_ cute!"

"So sorry I'm not working as an idol right now - but Risette's gonna do her best today, so I hope you'll all cheer for me!"

Which was exactly what the audience did. Kanji could see how Rise had worked entire stadiums.

For the first time that day, the announcer's smile looked genuine. "The real Risette, ladies and gentlemen, in the flesh! Thank you very much!"

As he watched Rise skip into line, Kanji's brow furrowed. Five contestants and still no Naoto. She hadn't dropped out, had she? She couldn't have, there was an extra space on stage for her and everything. Maybe she was standing in the stage wings, though he couldn't see her there either, even when he leaned forward and -

A hand tugged at his shirt. "Kanji-kun, pull back a little," Naoki hissed. "You're gonna fall over the row in front!"

Kanji looked down and met the gaze of two wide-eyed first-year boys. "Uh. Sorry."

As he straightened up and muttered a quiet thanks to Naoki, he almost missed Rise making a quick hand motion, directed somewhere off-stage. It looked like a thumbs-up.

"Last but not least - the mysterious transfer student of the first-year Class 1, Ms. Naoto Shirogane!"

Kanji's stomach did a spectacular flip halfway up his chest.

Naoto had stuck with it, just like she'd said. Which meant that this moment, right here, was when he'd know for sure. Right?

A fist tapped against his bicep. "Hey, here she comes!" Yosuke whispered.

"Shh! Pipe down!"

Up on stage, Naoto marched to the microphone, stiff and quick - like she'd had to psyche herself up to do it but didn't want anyone else to realize. Kanji half-expected her to run away. Her gaze darted around the audience, before settling firmly on the back wall of the auditorium.

Once again, the audience broke out cheering - but this time, Kanji could hear more than a few female voices in the mix. Even knowing what they did, the girls were still into Naoto. So were some of the guys, which should've made him feel better - but the difference, he reminded himself, was that he'd liked her before, back when she'd been someone else.

Hadn't she?

"I-I'm Naoto Shirogane." Naoto didn't sound certain about that last part, but Kanji didn't particularly care.

The outfit wasn't a dress, or a suit, or anything he hadn't seen her wear before. He remembered both the shirt (the collar was slightly lower than her others) and the blue and green plaid pants (she had a blue and grey pair, too, which suited her a little better). The single change was that she'd taken off her cap, and he'd seen her without it before. In the end, Naoto looked like herself - and Kanji wasn't sure why he'd expected anything different.

"It's...hard to believe I'm up on stage at a pageant like this." Naoto ran a hand down the back of her head, smoothing down her hair, then clasped it against her hip. Something in the motion reminded Kanji of their first meeting, and how badly he'd freaked out over this short, skinny guy who hadn't even been asking him out on a date.

"A big departure for the Detective Prince, huh? How does it feel?"

"It's...um, beyond my wildest imaginings. I-I really don't know what to say," Naoto stammered, glancing around the audience again. Kanji hoped she hadn't caught him staring. "C-Can I step back now?"

"Of course, Miss Naoto - and thank you!"

Kanji knew he'd go home that night and still ask himself the same damn questions as always - but right now, it didn't matter. Right now, and for the first time in months, it wasn't about choosing girls or boys - because maybe it didn't _need_ to be.

Truth was, Naoto hadn't been someone else before. Naoto had just been Naoto. Same person who had Kanji hanging on each word and took up half the space in his head, to the point where he almost hated it. Same person who'd pissed him off more times than he could count and still left him wanting more. The only thing that had changed was how he saw them - or rather, himself.

Shit, he'd had enough people judging him. He'd spent way too much time judging himself. And then he'd painted everything in black and white, just to make it harder.

It wasn't an epic realization, and it wouldn't answer all his doubts - but Kanji felt like he might be a step closer to figuring himself out.

Unfortunately, what he felt for Naoto was as messy and confusing as ever. Watching her on stage was only intensifying that. There had to be a word for it, one that summed up what she did to him, girl or guy - but none of the words Kanji had come up with worked, because none of them were enough. Even when he put a bunch of them together, the tangle inside him still tumbled over the edge.

Maybe there was some magic combination. Maybe he'd get round to asking Naoto some time. Right then, watching her try to gradually edge behind Rise, Kanji settled for the closest sound he had.

Yosuke poked his shoulder again. "Did you just say 'whoa'? Seriously? Tatsumi, you've gotta do bet-"

Kanji smacked him in the ribs before Souji had chance.

"And with that, all six uniquely beautiful contestants are on stage!" The announcer gestured toward Teddie, who'd appeared at the left side of the stage. "Now let's have our special judge, Mr. Teddie, ask them some questions!"

Souji winced. "Oh, _no._"

Teddie coughed emphatically. "Good afternoon! I am Teddie-chan, the honorary judge of this pageant." He swept a hand toward the line of girls, his hair tossing back with the motion. "Please keep in mind that if you anger me, you will be at a disadvantage!"

"Do you know that guy?" Naoki asked. Kanji mumbled something non-committal.

"First question!" With a twirl and a shower of sparkles, Teddie pointed a finger straight at Chie. "Ms. Chie, do you have a boyfriend?"

Chie blinked. "What? That's none-"

"Second! Ms. Yukiko, have you ever smooched anyone before?"

"Teddie! Stop it!"

"Third! Ms. Naoto, where are you ticklish?"

"I-I beg your pardon?" Naoto choked, while Kanji vowed to beat Teddie to a pulp if he ever tried to find out.

"And fourth! Can I stay at your house next time, Rise-chan?"

Rise wrinkled her nose. "C'mon, what kind of question is that?"

"A-anyways," the announcer cut in, "I have a surprise announcement for you all! Following Mr. Teddie's earlier suggestion, as a last minute addition to the program and for the first time ever, this year's pageant will feature a swimsuit competition! All you guys out there, give him a big hand!"

It was hard to tell, but Kanji swore Yosuke was clapping louder than anyone else.

"This. Is. _Awesome_," he said, grinning.

Thing was, Kanji had to agree.

The pageant hadn't done what he'd expected. He hadn't found a firm label for himself, or cleared up all his questions - but he knew now that Naoto wasn't the answer to his doubts, or the easy way out, or anything else except Naoto. Some things, Kanji thought, suddenly seemed a lot clearer.

He slapped his hand over Yosuke's shoulder. "Yeah, man. You're totally right."

Souji shook his head, but it looked half-hearted. He tipped his thumb toward Teddie, who was still badgering the girls with questions as they filed off-stage. "From now on, Yosuke, you're locking him up whenever you leave home."

"Like you mean that," Yosuke shot back, and smirked.


	25. Interlude 6

_A/N: Many thanks to Kharta for making an awesome fanart picture for this story. Link is in my profile. Make sure to check out his DeviantArt page, he does good work (with much Naoto)._

_Story so far: The girls made it through the first half of the beauty pageant, causing a revelation for Kanji and a headache for Souji._

_In this interlude: Naoto's two very different Great Escapes._

* * *

**October 30th, 2011**

As an abstract concept, the contest had seemed simple. The reality was proving quite different.

Always talented at self-deception, Naoto had choked down her initial panic and convinced herself that the experience, while uncomfortable, was necessary. It remained vital to integrate herself with the rest of the team. She'd promised Seta-senpai as much, and if it required her to take part in such a ridiculous affair, so be it. Unfortunately, this conviction had begun to wane the moment she arrived at school.

How had an event as trivial as a beauty contest driven her to run and hide in a bathroom? Ludicrous. Irrational, too, given she was hardly unused to attention. A boy detective was an uncommon thing, and the press reports after each case, the Niteline interview, the endless letters - those, she had managed.

They had, however, also occurred prior to October. This pageant was entirely different, because now everything was.

Naoto adjusted her jacket on its hanger and smoothed out the creases for the fourth time in the past five minutes - pointedly ignoring the blue and white swimsuit draped over the bench beside it.

The dress she'd lent Teddie would have been preferable. Of course, all this was Teddie's fault. The bear had evidently been planning this scenario, possibly with Hanamura's help - Naoto had not missed the obligatory Junes tag sewn into the swimsuit's lining - and Naoto knew he was the most deserving of her anger. Unfortunately, focusing one's ire was impossible when dangerously close to a full-on temper tantrum, and she found herself equally furious at everyone involved: Teddie for proposing such an idiotic addition, Hanamura for signing her up, Chie for insisting she go through with it. Kanji, for begging her to take part. And, most of all, herself.

Naoto could feel this case slipping through her fingers. It was Kobe all over again - procrastination, inattentiveness, endless distractions. Stung by her failure, she'd vowed then to be more disciplined, and _had_ been, up until she joined the team. Now she was wasting time on trivialities in an attempt to please her new colleagues, purely because she had no way to deal with the television world alone. There was no other choice.

She swallowed, her throat feeling suddenly tight.

This was going to be impossible.

_(we-can-do-this-dontworry-easyeasy)_

Sukuna-Hikona. Most of his commentary, Naoto found entirely unhelpful. This was no exception.

_(not-a-coward-not-afraid-wecandothis)_

The Persona continued buzzing, a low murmuring at the edge of her mind that she found hard to push aside.

She _wasn't_ a coward. She'd managed the first half of the contest - which would have been the entirety, if not for Teddie's eleventh-hour meddling. There was no reason to be ashamed, Naoto told herself, wishing fervently that she could believe it.

...Perhaps she could simply leave. Chie and Yukiko were also changing into their swimsuits, but at the other end of the girls' locker room, and Naoto hadn't seen Rise since they left the stage. She was near enough to the door, maybe if she just-

"Hey, Naoto-kun! Are you done?"

Rise. Of course.

For a moment, Naoto considered staying silent - but her brief association with Rise Kujikawa had taught her just how futile that would be. "No. Not yet." She hesitated. "I-I haven't started."

"What, for real?" Rise asked as she rounded the row of lockers behind Naoto. "But we've gotta be back on stage in ten minutes!"

Naoto had taken her shoes off when preparing to attempt the swimsuit. Now, as they faced each other, the tip of Rise's nose was just above Naoto's eye level. This realization only made things worse. Unfortunately, looking anywhere else was impossible, given that Rise had already changed into her own suit - specifically, a skimpy yellow bikini that put more emphasis on the first word than the other two combined.

"I-I know," Naoto managed.

"So…what's the hold-up?"

Given the situation, perhaps honesty was best. "…I am unsure about this."

"C'mon, Naoto-kun, it's not gonna be that bad." Rise nodded toward the bench. "That suit's pretty tame. Looks a lot like school regulation."

Perhaps it did. Naoto hadn't attended a single swim class since arriving at Yasogami High; forging medical excuse letters had proved remarkably simple. However, a swimsuit was still a swimsuit. "It isn't the style that bothers me, Rise-san."

"Yeah, I figured." Rise tilted her head and winked. "But I _know_ you've got the figure. And it'll be a new experience!"

The truth was, Naoto _had_ tried a more feminine look once before, in the privacy of her room back at the estate. Not the absurd bundles of frills her grandmother insisted on sending, of course. Just a simple skirt, short-sleeved top, and stockings. It hadn't felt right. But neither did her regular attire; the bindings were uncomfortable, the boxer briefs ill-fitting, the shirts too large even after adjusting. Together, the ensemble only reinforced the pretence.

There were, however, many types of discomfort.

Naoto looked away. "It's just -" she began, then left it at that. Explaining her position would take far too long, and expecting Rise to understand would be hypocritical.

When Rise stepped forward to place a hand on her arm, Naoto's first instinct was to jerk back. She tensed, trying to remain still.

"You made it through the first half just fine, right?" Rise asked.

'Just fine' was a gross exaggeration. Being last on stage had been both a blessing and a curse; while Naoto had spent the least time in front of the audience, she'd also spent the most time backstage battling the urge to turn and run.

But she _had_ stepped out there, in the end. "...I suppose so."

"Okay." With a quick nod, Rise glanced toward the swimsuit. "So, is this really so different?"

"Yes," Naoto immediately answered.

Rise let out a quiet sigh.

"Look, I know not everyone's as fine with this as I am," she said. Her hand had returned to her side. "Kinda like the measurements thing. Boy, you wouldn't believe the lecture Chie-senpai and Yukiko-senpai gave me the next day. Girls can be _so_ weird sometimes."

"I don't believe most of them wear swimsuits on national television," Naoto pointed out.

"True. It's not as great as it sounds, though." Rise rolled her eyes. "Try standing in a studio for six hours freezing your butt off and getting yelled at by some crusty old director - and having to smile the whole time! Your face just aches by the end."

Naoto considered mentioning that the scenario had never sounded great to begin with - but Rise's world, and what was expected of her, was very different to her own. "It's easier for you," she said instead, adjusting the collar of her shirt.

"Huh? Why's that?"

"You are - well. You know."

Rise stared at her for a moment, expression unreadable - then shook her head. "Yeah, but I wasn't always." She paused. "You wanna know how I got started as an idol?"

Uncertain of any other suitable response, Naoto nodded.

"My record company came to Inaba looking for new talent. One stop on this big tour of small towns," Rise explained, then shrugged. "Maybe they wanted the girl-next-door feel, or a blank canvas, or who knows what - but my aunt, she was the one who signed me up for the auditions. I never would've done it myself." She gave a slight, sheepish smile. "Way, _way_ too shy."

Naoto blinked. The thought that Rise Kujikawa might possess any degree of shyness was as ludicrous as - well, as the idea of herself in a swimsuit. "How did you manage?"

Rise shrugged a second time. "I don't know," she replied, uncharacteristically quiet. "I just did it. I figured, if it might make people like me, why not give it everything I had?"

"…I cannot do that here."

"Why?"

Naoto had no idea how to answer. _Because I want people to respect me. Because I don't want to be looked at like that. Because I'm a boy even if I'm not._

The revelation of her physical sex had been unpleasant, but, technically, nothing had changed. _Naoto_ hadn't changed. And yet, something clearly had.

As a male, she had been regarded by the other students as competent and clever - even 'cool', according to Rise, if a little stand-offish. One month later, she was seen simply as a girl who had masqueraded as a boy, eagerly awaiting a time when she could drop the pretence; as if her boy self was something to be packed up and stored away, a plaything that had outlived its novelty. What Naoto feared was exactly what Hanamura had confirmed by signing her up for this contest: that nothing had changed, except what people believed to be true. Their perceptions were different, and thus so was everything else.

Perceptions were everything. Sonoda, who had never spoken to her prior to October, was proof enough of that, as were the whispers that followed her through the school corridors. Naoto could disregard these opinions, coming from people she considered irrelevant - but her colleagues were a different matter. Seta-senpai would be watching the contest. How would he ever take her seriously after witnessing her on stage in a swimsuit? They had only recently begun to associate outside of the team and sitting at a table solving childish riddles had felt ridiculous enough. Naoto was still desperately searching for some way to prove herself to him, and this pageant was most certainly not it. Then there was Kanji, another issue completely and one that had occupied her more than she cared to acknowledge. His attitude to the contest - in particular, her participation - had been completely inconsistent, and though she'd initially concentrated on searching for some pattern, Naoto now wondered why he'd been so eager for her to take part in the first place. It made no sense, unless he was-

"So? Why not?"

She looked up. Rise was still standing in front of her, arms folded and expression expectant. After several seconds fumbling around for a suitable answer, Naoto managed a helpless shrug.

Rise frowned, watching her carefully. Naoto had the sensation of being studied - a sample in a petri dish, circuitry to be analyzed - until finally, Rise sighed. "Wow. You really don't want to do this, do you?"

Biting her lip, Naoto shook her head.

"I'm not gonna lie, Naoto-kun, I don't think I get it. Not all of it, anyway." Rise leaned back against the row of lockers, one hand toying with a loose strand of her hair. "But this second half wasn't part of the show, and that's pretty unfair. Maybe you shouldn't have to do it."

"Chie-senpai insisted that I participate fully." An insistence that had been backed up with several dire threats.

"Yeah, she did. But she just wants us to work together, be a team. She's always like that." The smile Rise gave was bright yet sympathetic. "Souji-senpai calls her our morale officer."

"Explaining why I was press-ganged," muttered Naoto.

"And Kashiwagi _really_ rattled her, I can tell. But...well, it can't be easy standing next to Yukiko-senpai."

Uncertain of Rise's meaning, Naoto frowned. Yukiko hardly seemed at ease with her role in the pageant; if anyone, Chie should have been intimidated by Rise herself.

"Anyway, that doesn't matter right now," insisted Rise, with a wave of her hand. "We've gotta figure out what to do about you." She rocked back on her heels and hummed thoughtfully. "Y'know, Chie-senpai and Yukiko-senpai are both kinda fraught over this. Easily distracted. And you're the last one on stage."

Naoto stared dumbly at her for a moment. "You - you mean-"

Rise's only response was a wink.

"This - it won't cause a problem, will it? With the others?"

Rise gestured toward the far end of the room, where Chie and Yukiko were presumably still changing. "They'll bust you big time later - and you might wanna avoid Kashiwagi for a while," she added, with a wince. "But the guys will be too busy ogling to care."

"But -"

"C'mon, it'll be cake. We'll head over there a little late, and while I go on stage you make a break for it." She smirked. "Trust me, I'll make _sure_ to distract everyone."

Naoto had every faith she'd succeed. After the cross-dressing pageant and Teddie's impromptu addition to the programme, the audience - or at least the male contingent - had been abuzz at the prospect of a swimsuit-clad Risette. But when Chie and Yukiko had both pressed so hard for Naoto's involvement, why was Rise now proposing precisely the opposite? "I-I don't understand," Naoto stammered. "Why are you helping me with this?"

Stepping forward, Rise placed a hand on her shoulder. This time, Naoto didn't flinch.

"Duh. We're _friends_, Naoto-kun," Rise declared, as if describing the concept to a small child. "Besides, it's pretty obvious that you're gonna drop out, and at least this way I don't have to listen to Chie-senpai yelling at you again."

"Who am I yelling at now?" Chie asked, suddenly appearing around the row of lockers and now wearing her swimsuit.

Panicked, Naoto opened her mouth to respond with very little idea of what that response would actually be. Fortunately, Rise immediately stepped in. "Naoto-kun, if she doesn't get her butt in gear. She _still_ isn't ready."

Chie's brow furrowed, though seemingly more in worry than anger. "Oh, man…I know you're not happy about this, Naoto-kun, but you can't make us late! Jeez, this is bad enough already."

"Don't worry, Chie-senpai. You and Yukiko-senpai can head over to the auditorium, and I'll bring Naoto-kun once she's finished changing."

"Or even started," Chie snapped, then sighed. Once again, her expression turned fretful. "Sorry, sorry. I guess…we'll see you guys over there." With a slight shake of her head, she turned and walked away.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Rise let out a giggle. "Told you so! You're gonna be fine."

Almost light-headed with relief, Naoto couldn't suppress a small smile.

* * *

As when fleeing Teddie earlier that morning, Naoto's first impulse had been to run for the roof. On this occasion, however, it had worked. The corridors of the main school building had understandably been deserted, and if anyone had somehow still noticed her departure, they hadn't joined pursuit. After Rise had vanished through the side-entrance to the stage, Naoto had escaped up the main stairs with no witnesses and made her way to the farthest corner of the rooftop.

She occasionally spent her lunch break up here, typically during rainstorms when nobody else dared venture outside (except for an oddly excitable third-year girl who carried her own barometer.) The weather now was sunny, if slightly chilly, but the roof was still empty. Naoto hoped it would stay that way for the remainder of the festival.

...Which, thus far, had been a fiasco. Two contests, both with unwilling participants, to be followed by the most idiotic production imaginable: 'Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet', gruesomely spliced together from the only two plays Class 2-3 had recognized.

Naoto sighed. Merely thinking about the day's events - while trying not to grit her teeth - was enough to make her head ache. She sat down on a nearby ledge and began massaging her temples, her gaze fixed on the concrete surface of the roof.

...Perhaps she should have stayed. Sukuna-Hikona had made his opinion on the matter very clear: Naoto was a coward. She had made promises to Seta, surrendered to Chie and Yukiko, insisted on her participation to Kanji - and then completely contradicted both herself and their wishes. She owed the team a debt she hadn't even begun to repay, and all they'd asked of her was her involvement in a pageant. Simple.

Except it _wasn't_ simple. Nothing was anymore. And nobody seemed to grasp this, to appreciate that she had not changed, that her secret being revealed had not somehow 'fixed' things - and most of all, that the secret shouldn't have needed to exist at all. It was not, Naoto realized, a matter of two selves to be swapped at will, male to female, but a single self that twisted and tangled them both. Her own actions had created the dichotomy, girl versus boy - but why did she have to choose to begin with? It wasn't _fair_.

For a horrible moment, Naoto thought back to her Shadow. Desperate, frustrated, and begging _why, why, why_.

Preoccupied, she didn't notice the sound of heavy footsteps across the roof. She did, however, notice the sudden shade cast over her; a large, looming silhouette. There was little question as to the owner, and Naoto lifted her head to find Kanji standing in front of her - towering and ungainly, with his hands shoved in his pockets.

She turned her attention back to the floor. "I assume Rise directed you here."

"Yeah," he admitted.

Logically, he should have been one of the last people she wanted to see. Kanji had as much talent for offering comfort as she had for accepting it, and he'd been partly responsible for this entire mess - but the fury she'd felt back in the changing room had lessened. His presence, Naoto decided, was not intolerable. Besides, he was currently vastly preferable to Seta-senpai, whom she would have to avoid for a week and who doubtless no longer took her seriously at-

A hand waved in front of her face. "Hey, you okay?"

"Of course," Naoto immediately replied, and didn't add _why wouldn't I be_.

Kanji gave her a _look_ - one that seemed to indicate she hadn't fooled him at all. Before Naoto could protest, however, he quickly sat down on the ledge, approximately a meter away from her own position.

A slightly awkward silence settled over them. Naoto, in no mood to talk, had no objections.

After several long moments, Kanji finally spoke. "Y'did good."

"I'm sorry?"

"Showing up to the first half. Took guts."

Heat raced over Naoto's face. "...It's no less than the others managed."

"Yeah, but you didn't wanna be in it."

"Neither did Chie-senpai nor Yukiko-senpai." She pressed her knuckles back against her left temple. Her head had begun to throb. "And I...I didn't finish the pageant. I've no doubt I was disqualified."

There was a long gap before Kanji answered. "Uh. Not exactly. You, uh...sorta won."

"It is impossible to 'sort of win' a contest, Kanji-kun," Naoto explained, now kneading her forehead instead. "What you mean to say is that I-"

Wait.

She snapped around to face him. "Are you - d-don't tell me they actually voted for-"

"…Yeah." Kanji looked bemused, as if such an outcome wasn't utterly stupid. "Lotta people voted for you." He paused. "Including all the girls."

On one hand, that made sense. Her admirers were disturbingly persistent in their attentions, and envelopes still found their way to her locker on a daily basis. On the other, all this far surpassed any level of idiocy she'd expected Yasogami High's student body to ever achieve. She hadn't even finished the contest - which meant...

"They _can't_," Naoto insisted, arms folded. "I dropped out. They cannot vote for me."

Kanji frowned, then shrugged. "Well, they did."

There had to be rules about this, somewhere. Naoto unfolded her arms, folded them again, and vowed to take it up with the school authorities.

"Oh, and Rise picked up your prize for you. If y'want it."

"I _don't."_

Her headache had not improved, she'd won a contest she hadn't completed, and Kanji _wasn't_ helping. Leaning forward, Naoto rested her elbows on her knees and settled into a brooding sulk.

"Okay, you're pissed off." Kanji stretched out his legs and leaned back against the wire fence. "But you - you deserved the win, yeah?"

"What are you-" Naoto began - then stopped, and let out a breath in an attempt to compose herself. "Explain, please."

"You went for it. We both did." When Naoto glanced to the side, Kanji had turned away from her to stare straight ahead, his cheeks covered with a suspicious flush. "I-I know, y'quit midway, whatever - but if Teddie hadn't come up with the swimsuit idea, you'd have finished the whole thing. Gotta respect that," he added, with a firm nod.

He was being far too charitable. His own resolve to take part deserved some sort of recognition, even if Naoto wasn't certain what sort. She, however, had only persisted with the contest for two reasons: to save face and, if she was being honest, to please Seta-senpai.

Neither motive was easy to rationalize.

"You coulda dropped out earlier, too, back in the bathroom," Kanji continued. "Could've just stayed there when I left. No way would Chie-senpai or Yukiko-senpai have gone in after you."

Naoto sighed. "I'm sure they would have hounded you until you'd returned with your quarry."

That scene had not been one of her proudest moments. Not only had the premise been humiliating - the heir to the Shirogane name, intimidated by a pair of schoolgirls - but Kanji had witnessed one of her confrontations with Sonoda. More than that, he'd involved himself on her account and been equally overprotective as he had inside the television. _With absolutely no justification_, Naoto mentally added, glancing sideways at him and feeling increasingly exasperated.

Still staring out over the roof, he gave another half-hearted shrug. "Maybe. But a bunch of people thought you were great."

She couldn't fathom who. The gaggle of desperately hormonal teenage girls had been accounted for, but had their numbers really carried the entire contest? Naoto found herself wondering how Kanji had voted - Rise would be the most rational choice - then switched to wondering why she would ever care. Much like Kanji's behaviour, it didn't add up.

Kanji shifted against the ledge. His cheeks, she noted, now verged on crimson. "Uh."

…There were, on reflection, a _lot_ of things that did not add up.

Naoto felt suddenly and inexplicably sick. "Wh-what?"

"And...uh. When you were up there. Y-you looked-"

She shot to her feet. "Well, we should be going! I-I should be. The play will begin soon, I ought to look round the festival d-displays first-" - and now Kanji was standing up too, which was somehow incredibly awful - "-so I'll just-"

Behind her, the rooftop door burst open. "Kanji-chan, Nao-chan!"

Naoto instantly spun around. Kanji, meanwhile, swore out loud.

"I knew you'd be up here!" Teddie bounced over, beaming and waving one hand. Thankfully, he was back in his usual clothing. "Well, Rise-chan knew. She said I had to stay away. But there's an _emergency_."

Grateful for any distraction in the world, Naoto latched on. "An emergency? Of what sort?"

"Artistic. And only Kanji-chan can help!"

Kanji frowned. "He can?"

"See, Hanako-chan was gonna be Juliet, but now she's all sad over the pageant and she doesn't want to be in the play. Which makes it just Romeo and Hamlet, and that's not-"

"I ain't playing Juliet," Kanji blurted.

"Of course not, she's too pretty. That's why Teddie's playing her." Teddie paused. "And now we need a new Romeo too. The old one must've _really_ liked Hanako-chan, because he kept shouting about how it was going to be too weird."

Naoto and Kanji glanced at each other.

Teddie, oblivious, took a deep breath. "Anyway, I asked Yuki-chan and Rise-chan for ideas and they both said Sensei would make the best Romeo ever, but then when I asked him, he said he'd been on the stage enough for one lifetime and told me to ask Yosuke, so I did, and once Yosuke was done laughing, he said that _you'd _really like to do it, Kanji-chan."

"He _what_?"

"Therefore, problem solved!" Teddie crowed - then tipped his head. "Unless you know someone else I could ask?"

Kanji spluttered, swallowed, then looked down at Naoto. "Uh."

"Absolutely not," Naoto shot back; in this case, as in several others, she was in firm agreement with Seta-senpai.

Teddie shook his head. "Romeo has to sweep Juliet away into the moonlit night and I don't know if Nao-chan could carry me." He gave a wide, bright smile, accompanied by a sprinkling of sparkles. "Kanji-chan, you're my only hope!"

"But - but - dammit, I can't act, I don't even know the lines!" protested Kanji, shoulders tensed and fists clenched. "An' it's_ Shakespeare_!"

"In the loosest possible sense," Naoto pointed out.

The response, intended as reassurance, had little effect. Kanji's expression remained pitched somewhere between horror and desperation. "No fricking way," he growled at Teddie. "Go find someone else!"

Teddie's face crumpled with frustration. "But I told you, I've asked _everyone_!"

There was, Naoto reminded herself, absolutely no reason to involve herself any further. Her earlier fury might have dissipated, but she was still in no mood to assist Teddie with anything, much less this. A painfully amateurish production, thrown together by a class who couldn't even settle on which play they wanted to perform, starring a bear in a dress. It would be a disaster.

"I-I can help," she burst out.

"What?"

"I can help," Naoto repeated - determined now, yet still unable to rationalize the offer. "I can feed you your lines."

For a moment, Kanji simply blinked down at her - before giving a sharp shake of his head. "B-but you - you're working backstage. Your whole class is s'posed to be helping."

"Exactly. They won't miss me."

Bouncing on the spot, Teddie clapped his hands together. "_Two_ Romeos! Kanji-chan and Nao-chan, both setting my heart aflutter!" Before Naoto had time to object, he swiveled toward the door. "Now I just need Ai-chan to make me pretty again!" he exclaimed, already bounding back across the rooftop.

Next to her, Kanji cursed again - this time, a little more quietly. "Sorry," he quickly added, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "Just, y'know. He's-"

"Completely impossible," Naoto finished.

"Yeah." Kanji offered a lopsided smile, which almost instantly faded. "Uh...listen, N-Naoto, I..."

Naoto quickly leapt in. "Y-you don't have to thank me. So don't. I simply want the play to be a success."

After all, no other explanation made sense.

Kanji hesitated. Naoto watched him frown down at her, biting his lip, and the moment lasted far too long - until finally, and much to her relief, he simply shrugged. "Right. 'Course you do."


	26. Chapter 20

_A/N: Went back and forth on including this hot springs sequence; it doesn't do much to further the story and the culture festival has already gone on for multiple chapters. But a few people voiced an interest, so here it is. Those of you with no interest can skip this chapter without regret._

___Thanks once again to Kharta, for his doubly-awesome follow-up fanart (this time featuring a scene from Chapter 16). Link is in my profile._

_After this chapter, we go into the November plot line. There's quite a lot of game material coming but I add extra scenes where I can._

_Story so far: With Rise's help, Naoto escaped the second half of the contest - then barely escaped a very uncomfortable moment with Kanji._

_In this part: Kanji's the consummate Romeo, Kashiwagi finally snaps, and the Amagi Inn has infinite buckets._

* * *

**October 30th, 2011**

Amid the darkness in the wings of the auditorium stage, Kou winced and shook his head. "I dunno what play that exchange student thinks he's in, but it isn't this one," he whispered. "This is so lame."

"S'your fault," Kanji reminded him, one hand gripping the top edge of a nearby wooden bush. "Probably could've found another Juliet if y'hadn't wrecked her costume." Between them, Kou and Daisuke had torn so many pieces off the dress during the pageant that even he couldn't fix it.

"Dude, it's not like I knew! Ozawa and Ebihara grabbed it, not me."

"Doesn't matter," Kanji muttered. "Now we gotta deal with Ted."

"And he's _completely_ disregarding the script," the bush hissed, indignantly.

Kanji shrugged. "You said it sucked anyway."

The large, bright pool of the spotlight was centered on Teddie, back in his weird blue maid dress and standing on a makeshift balcony at the top of a rickety-looking scaffold. "Wow, I can see the back of the hall from here!"

Not for the first time that day, Kanji heard the audience break out giggling - but this time it sounded different. He couldn't quite put his finger on why, only that, unlike the laughter during the pageant, it didn't make him want to start swinging chairs around. Maybe Ted wasn't doing that badly after all. Would've been nice if he'd stuck to the script, though. So far, the play had involved Juliet debating at length whether to score with Romeo or Hamlet (with liberal input from the audience), sparkling her way around the scenery, explaining why she would also have made a fantastic Romeo, and - right now - tossing her hair and asking if the girls thought it looked pretty.

Kanji sighed. "At least the play's short. Only one scene left, yeah?"

Next to him, Naoto surfaced from behind the wooden shrubbery. "Yes, and it'll be pointless. I can't supply your lines when he's perfoming the story extemporaneously!"

The word was new - talking to Naoto, a lot of them were - but Kanji got the gist. "Can't you make stuff up too?"

"Why," she asked, expression perfectly flat, "would I do that when we have a script?"

Up on the balcony, Teddie bounced in place, hands gripping the balcony rail. The scaffolding swayed. "Okay! Whereart Hamlet?"

Kou turned to Kanji, eyes wide in a wordless plea. Kanji responded with a sympathetic nod - then shoved him forward hard enough that he stumbled on to the stage and tripped over into the spotlight.

Served him right - though after the morning's cross-dressing disaster, Kanji would've preferred it be Daisuke, and watching Teddie start interrogating Kou about exactly what he could offer a bewitching young maiden wasn't so much satisfying as cringe-inducing. Still, at least people weren't staring at Kanji this time. He'd had enough of that for the next decade or two.

Probably wasn't the only one, either. He looked down at Naoto, now crouched behind the bush again and repeating the same process she had for most of the first act: paging through the script in her hands, making annoyed noises, glaring at Teddie, then looking at the script again. Of the lines she'd been able to feed him, he was pretty sure he'd said most of them wrong and that Ted had ignored them all anyway. But she'd tried. Tried to help _him_, Kanji thought, striving not to take it to heart.

He'd come close. Maybe the closest he would. And it wouldn't have been a good time, because Naoto had been prickly, and he'd still been feeling kind of disappointed, and the entire day had just been bizarre - but he still wished Teddie had waited a few minutes longer to gatecrash the roof. There might _never_ be any good times, just moments when he'd both the words and the courage to say what he actually meant. But what would Naoto have said back? Given that, short of tattooing them on his forehead, Kanji had done everything he could to express how he felt, would she have said anything at all? Confessing to someone was gut-wrenching enough without worrying that they might not even notice. What if she-

"Hey! You too, Romeo! Or two Romeos! Kanji-chan and Nao-chan!"

Kanji jolted back to awareness. "Uh - yeah! Right! On my way!" he answered, shooting a glance at Naoto - who responded with a quick nod before disappearing behind a cardboard cut-out fountain.

Good thing she was with him. She was the only person he knew who was small enough to stay hidden behind the drama club's crappy scenery. Didn't even need to crawl. Kanji actually found it kind of impressive - something that he'd have to be careful to never, ever tell her.

"Hurry, Kanji-chan!" Teddie cooed from above. "Your princess awaits!"

"You ain't a princess," Kanji pointed out as he strode to the base of the scaffold, which seemed to shake with each footstep.

Teddie hummed in agreement. "You're right, that's Yuki-chan." He leaned further over the rail and pointed at Kanji. "But! I, Juliet, demand to know: why should I let you score with me?"

_Totally __fine __if __you__ don't_, thought Kanji. Might've said it, too, if the plywood tree beside him hadn't started whispering.

He listened, took a deep breath, and wished Shakespeare translations weren't so damn formal. "Oh, Juliet...thou art as notorious to the night…uh, something over my head…as is a winked messenger of heaven."

"I suppose that's close enough," the tree muttered.

Teddie smiled blankly. "That's nice, but I didn't understand any of it. Maybe Juliet should pick Hamlet instead," he added, then pivoted toward the audience. "Sensei! What do you think?"

"Not a chance," snapped Kou. "Aren't you supposed to be poisoned by now?"

Kanji frowned, trying to remember what little he'd seen of the script. "If he is, then you an' me are meant to have a sword fight."

"Well, _that_ makes no sense." Teddie wagged a finger at him. "Sensei uses swords. You hit Shadows with desks, Kanji-chan, so we need to find you one of those."

Rapid footsteps drummed across the auditorium. By the time Kanji registered them, Souji was already at the base of the stage - his fingers gripping the wooden edge and his glare fixed firmly on Ted. "Teddie! Be quiet!"

Teddie beamed. "Sensei! My, could this be a third suitor for Juliet's affections?"

Right now, Souji didn't seem very affectionate. "Enough!" he huffed, hauling himself onto the stage by his hands. "This play's ending, you've already-"

"But we're not done yet! We still don't know who Juliet chooses!" Teddie protested, smacking both hands against the rail for emphasis and leaning even further over the balcony.

Maybe it was the extra weight, or Ted's attack on the rail. Maybe, Kanji would think later, it was because whoever built the damn thing had _really_ disliked Hanako Ohtani - but for whatever reason, the scaffolding had hit breaking point. With a terrible creak, it swayed to the right, then listed to the left again - and didn't stop.

The audience gasped. Up on the swinging balcony, still clinging to the rail, Teddie squeaked unhappily.

Naoto darted out from behind the tree. "Kanji, quick!"

"What's-" Kou managed, before Souji shoved him sideways through the fountain.

At almost the same time, Kanji made an instinctive grab for Naoto's hand - but Souji, already behind her, got there first. He gripped her arm, jerking her backwards and sparking a yelp of surprise roughly the same pitch as Teddie's.

Kanji glanced at her, then at Souji, then up at the balcony. "Ted! Jump!"

Whether he actually jumped or just tumbled over the rail wasn't clear. What mattered was catching the little guy. Kanji leaned back, arms outstretched - just in time for Teddie to slam against his front and almost knock him to the floor. He stayed upright, using the momentum to stumble backwards and sideways.

The scaffolding hit the stage with a crash, wood clattering against wood - less than half a meter from where they'd managed to move.

Teddie just squeaked again, eyes screwed shut, and gripped Kanji's shirt very tightly.

"_Dude_," offered Kou, still wedged halfway inside the crumped fountain and barely audible above the uproar from the audience.

Souji hadn't said anything. His hand, Kanji grimly noted, was still clutching Naoto's arm.

"Kanji-chan, my noble rescuer! I can bear-ly contain myself!" Teddie flung his arms around Kanji's neck. "Shall we continue?"

"Forget it, Ted. This play's over," Souji insisted, finally letting go of Naoto and picking his way through the wreckage to Kou.

"Beats the original ending," muttered Kou, as Souji yanked him to his feet.

Naoto just stood in the same spot, watching Souji, looking like she wanted to say something. Finally, she opened her mouth to speak - at the same moment Daisuke chose to burst through the auditorium door.

"Dude! Kou! You okay? I heard this big crash and one of the first years came outside and-"

"It's fine, man, Souji helped! He's-"

With Senpai now lost in a high-volume conversation between Kou and Daisuke, Naoto apparently changed plans, weaving around the scaffolding debris toward Kanji instead. She gestured to the wing, and Kanji obligingly carried Teddie off-stage.

As they walked, Ted let out a mournful whine. "Why does the play have to be over?" he complained. "I like being Juliet! I'm really good at it, that's why they let me play her."

"No, it was 'cause you had your own outfit," muttered Kanji, finally untangling him and placing him on the floor.

"I'm not entirely certain why you offered," Naoto added.

"Because a hero always saves the day!" Teddie punched his fist skywards and left it there. "Plus, I got to keep wearing Nao-chan's dress."

Kanji blinked. "Nao-chan's-?"

Naoto lurched toward Teddie. "Shut up! You - I _told_ you not to-" She stopped and ran a hand over her mouth, jaw tensed. "D-don't listen to him, Kanji-kun. Complete nonsense."

…Naoto's _dress_? When did that happen? And why'd she get one so awful? Maybe she just needed help picking one out, Kanji thought for a wild moment, then remembered exactly who he was thinking about.

He swallowed. "When'd you- I-I didn't think you wore-"

She whipped around, colour high in her cheeks. "I _don't_."

"But she might for you," Teddie offered, ever helpful, "if you asked nicely."

Fortunately for his continued survival, Naoto launched herself at Teddie and chased him down the stairs before Kanji could even try.

* * *

Knowing the route from Yasogami High to the Amagi inn better than any of the others, Chie and Yukiko had taken the lead. The rest of the team followed, falling into small groups as they walked through the quiet back roads on the outskirts of town. Kanji was walking alongside Souji, who was hand-in-hand with Nanako, and a few meters behind Naoto, who was trying to prise Rise off her right arm. Yosuke and Teddie brought up the rear, both still gabbing about the eternal awesomeness of the girls' beauty pageant. Ted in particular seemed a lot happier than fifteen minutes ago, when Naoto had been chasing him through the first floor corridors and threatening to drown him in the Samegawa. Even though she probably couldn't do the same thing to him - and even though he _was_ still curious about the dress - Kanji had decided to let the matter drop.

A small hand tugged at his left sleeve. When he looked down, Nanako was staring back up at him with a very serious expression. "Are you excited about the springs, Kanji?"

"Guess so." Kanji grinned at her. "Might be fun."

"I've never been to one of these before," Souji mused. When Kanji looked up at him, he smiled awkwardly. "City boy."

"I ain't been either, Senpai."

"Same here!" Teddie piped up from behind.

"Me neither. See, you're not on your own, Big Bro!" Nanako gave a small and satisfied nod. "We should ask the others too!"

"You go ahead. Ask Rise first," Souji told her.

It was a nice gesture. Rise had been jabbering at Naoto ever since they left the school, mostly about how much fun the hot springs would be and how certain detectives definitely wouldn't be wearing swimsuits (or much of anything). Kanji, fingers firmly pinching the bridge of his nose, hadn't been able to hear Naoto's side of the conversation at all - if there was one. With Rise, it wasn't guaranteed.

Giggling, Nanako let go of Souji's hand and scampered ahead. Yosuke, who was probably trying to be polite, waited about two seconds before being a smartass. "Big Bro?" he snickered.

Souji looked over his shoulder, one eyebrow cocked. "Yep. Why?"

"Uh, well…" Yosuke shrugged, looking a little taken aback. "Nothing, I guess."

Kanji shot Souji a thumbs-up. "S'right, you tell him!" Yosuke's only response was a muttered grumble, Souji's a soft chuckle.

They walked on in silence for a few more moments - Kanji's gaze still fixed on Naoto, almost without him realizing - before Souji edged over to him and said, in a low voice, "So, did it help?"

"Huh?"

"The pageant. You were really counting on it, you made that clear back on the roof."

The question wasn't unexpected. Speaking with Naoki earlier had clued Kanji in on just how obvious he'd been, except to one person. "Oh, right. Yeah, think it did." He rolled his shoulders in a half-shrug. "Stuff still isn't simple, but my head's clearer."

"Good." Souji's smile was slight but content. "Glad to hear it." He went quiet after that - which Kanji figured meant the end of the conversation - but after a short pause, he hummed, sounding amused. "I liked the pageant too...though maybe not for such noble reasons." He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets, his mouth curving in a sheepish smile. "Don't tell the girls I said this - or Yosuke, for that matter - but it did kind of make up for the cross-dressing."

Kanji grinned. "Forgiven Ted for the swimsuit deal?"

"Yeah. Don't tell him that, either." Souji chuckled again, shaking his head, then added - casually, like it was an afterthought - "Shame Naoto dropped out."

"Why?" The question was as instinctive as his clenched fists. Kanji swallowed, tensed his jaw, and tried to backtrack. "I-I mean, yeah, it is."

He had the stupid hope that Souji might let it slide. Unsurprisingly, Senpai didn't. After a beat of silence, he cleared his throat, and said, way too carefully, "You're thinking the same thing, right?"

"No. Well, yeah." Kanji grit his teeth, suddenly feeling a lot less clear-headed. "Just - didn't think you were bothered."

Senpai hadn't meant nothing by it. Just making conversation, Kanji told himself, just talking about someone he shouldn't be, because someone else had got there first and didn't that count for anything?

_Idiot__. _As if being first made a difference; as if Kanji even _had_ been. If it were physically possible, he would've kicked his own ass.

Souji still hadn't answered. A long moment passed before he finally spoke. "Come on, Kanji. I might not be Yosuke, but I'm still a guy. Who wouldn't want to see one extra girl up there?" he asked, and his voice was light - but when Kanji glanced sideways, his smile looked far too taut.

* * *

Yukiko hadn't been kidding about reservations being down. The call from the front desk hadn't come that late in the evening, yet the male changing room was already deserted. Turned out there was such a thing as bad publicity - though if half the stuff Kanji had heard Ma gossiping about was true, he couldn't fault people for being scared.

Souji was neatly folding each of their yukata. "Wonder if it's always this quiet."

"I guess we wouldn't know," Yosuke said, still fiddling with the towel tied around his waist. "Though I'm kinda surprised Kanji hasn't stayed here before."

"Why would I?" Wasn't like he would've had anyone to tag along with. Besides, sitting around in a glorified bathtub wasn't really his thing.

"Well, y'know." Yosuke's lips twisted into a smirk. "Hot, steamy, men only...and Inaba doesn't have a bathhouse, so-"

Before Kanji had chance to wring Hanamura's neck, Souji leaned over and smacked him in the bicep. "Leave it, Yosuke," he scolded. "After the day we've had, I want to relax, and that's not going to happen if Kanji puts you through a wall."

"Jeez, lighten up," Yosuke grumbled. "Everyone's way too serious today, I'm just having fun."

"Don't worry, that's why we're here!" said Teddie, slipping his right arm around Yosuke's left. "I've seen movies about this on TV. I promise to wash your back if you wash mine."

Yosuke jerked away. "Dude! What the heck are you watching while I'm at school?"

Souji usually would've cut in at this point - but when Kanji looked over, he was frowning at the screen doors that led to the spring pool. "Did you hear something?"

"C'mon," Yosuke jeered. "Don't tell me you're still spooked from earlier!"

"No, but I-" Souji began - just as Yosuke slid the door open and Teddie darted through at high speed.

"Oh wow! This spring looks amazing, Sensei!"

Souji raised his hands, palms outward. "I think we should-"

"Hey! Wait for me!" Yosuke yelled, already running through after Teddie.

They made enough racket between them, Kanji swore the staff would hear it back at reception - yet, somewhere below Teddie's squeals of delight, he could hear voices. _Girl_ voices.

He jerked round to face Souji, who jerked round to face him.

"Oh, shit," said Kanji.

Souji gaped back. "Don't tell me they're..."

The next thing Kanji heard was a loud splash - then a yelp from Teddie, and a high-pitched "Ow!"

"…oh, crap, they are!" Souji ran through the open doors, one arm shielding his eyes. "Guys, get out of there!"

This left Kanji in a dilemma. On one hand, anyone with a sense of either self-preservation or decency would run back to their room and stay there. On the other hand, the others were already inside, Senpai might need help getting them out, and Kanji's brain had apparently gone numb anyway. "Wait up!" he shouted, following close on Souji's heels.

Inside the spring, Yosuke was standing at the edge of the pool, eyes large as plates and jaw dropped open. Teddie, meanwhile, was already in the water - dangerously close to a horrified and vaguely homicidal-looking Yukiko.

Skidding to a halt, Kanji glanced wildly at each girl in turn: Chie, red-faced and clenching her fists; Rise, wide-eyed and blinking; Yukiko, still looking torn between fight and flight; Nanako, barely visible in the back; and Naoto, who was-

He gulped, blushed furiously, and stared firmly at his feet.

Shit. What were they supposed to do? Automatically, he turned to look at Souji - who now had both arms held up in front of his face and probably wouldn't be much help at all. Yosuke was the first one to do anything other than stare, breaking the deathly silence with a stuttered "Wh-why are you guys here?"

"That's _my_ line!" Chie snapped.

"Senpai!" Rise's pitch had scaled new heights. "Wh-what are you _doing_?"

"I-I swear," Souji insisted, voice slightly muffled, "we didn't know you were-"

The rest was lost, cut off by the frantic splashing noises from somewhere nearby - closely followed by the solid thunk of wood against wood and a terrified squawk from Yosuke.

Kanji's head snapped up just in time for a bucket to smack him in the face. "_Ow_! Dammit!"

"Yuki-chan, Chie-chan, stop it!" he heard Teddie plead, still somewhere in the water. "I'm very delic-ow!"

"You're all insane!" Yosuke snapped, inbetween dodging buckets. "It's - ack! - it's our turn down here!"

The only response was a shrill shriek from Rise - and more buckets. Lots of them. Some calmer, less terrified portion of Kanji's mind wondered why the hell a mountain's worth of wooden pails was stashed in a hot spring. However, the 'seriously freaked out' section was currently in charge and Senpai - who was cowering somewhere behind him - was being useless. Desperate, he swung toward Yosuke. "What the hell are we gonna do?"

Yosuke drew himself up to his full height. "We're gonna hold the line!" he yelled. "We won't be bowed down! We have to-"

Unfortunately, Kanji never found out exactly what they needed to do. Yosuke hit the deck, laid flat by the bucket that had just scored a direct hit against his head.

"Forget that!" Souji barked, shooting out from behind Kanji and grabbing a dazed and indignant Yosuke by the shoulders. "Retreat!"

Senpai knew best. Senpai _always_ knew best. With a quick nod, Kanji yanked Teddie out of the water and called out, "It-it's an honest mistake!"

Yosuke, currently being dragged across the floor, remained defiant. "We're not - ow! - gonna forget this!" was his final cry as Souji pulled him through the doorway and out of the springs, Kanji following close behind.

* * *

"I'm sure it was a misunderstanding," Souji repeated for the third time, still not sounding very convinced.

"Yeah. Us misunderstanding just how evil they are!" Yosuke's expression was half-sneer and half-wince, probably because he kept prodding at a vivid bruise on his left shin. "Say it all you want, partner - but I checked the schedule again, the spring's definitely supposed to be for guys right now!"

Grimacing, Souji rubbed the back of his head. "Like I said. Misunderstanding. They probably just...forgot."

"I won't," Kanji muttered. "Feel like I've just done six hours inside the television." Shadows could be dangerous, gruesome, seriously freaky, and often all three - but at least none of them had ever hurled wooden pails at his head. Not yet, anyway.

Teddie had curled up on his side next to Souji, expression doleful. "You're wrong, Kanji-chan. My head's all bumpy. That _never_ happens in the television."

The best response Kanji could manage was a grunt, and even that felt half-hearted. Tonight had _sucked_. Baths weren't all that exciting, but it still would've been nice to get a proper look at the springs instead of inter-bucket glimpses.

Only the springs, of course. Not at anything else. Or anyone.

Kanji slapped a hand to his face, cursing under his breath - then fell into the same melancholy near-silence as the others. Even Ted had nothing to say, save a few squeaks of pain as he poked various spots on his head.

Finally, Yosuke lifted his gaze. "So, uh...did any of you - see anything?"

"Buckets," Souji answered.

"And nothin' else," added Kanji. Not that he'd wanted to. Wasn't right, spying on people in hot springs (even if you seriously liked one of them, might not have minded seeing them, and would've been totally fine with the whole bucket thing if you actually had.)

"I think my life flashed before my eyes." Ted was now stretched out on the wooden floorboards, arms splayed behind his head. "But other than that, no."

Yosuke scowled at Souji and Kanji in turn. "I told you guys to hold the line! We might've seen something that way!"

"Right, 'cause it worked _real_ well for you," Kanji shot back, while Souji stared at an interesting spot on the opposite wall and mumbled something about needing to catch up on his 'Man's Life' books.

"Forget it." Yosuke let out a deep sigh and flopped over onto his futon. "Let's just go to sleep."

Wasn't like the night would get any better. Kanji had just began to pull himself to his feet when he heard - something. Couldn't place it, at first. It sounded a little like an animal's howl, like if they were hurt or-

Wait. Maybe it was all in his head. Probably got hit too hard by a bucket. He swallowed, and asked, voice quavering, "Did - did any o'you hear that?"

Souji turned to him, brow furrowed. "Hear what?"

There wasn't a chance to explain before the same moaning noise as before echoed through the room - this time louder, and for longer.

Yosuke bolted upright from his futon. "Wh-what was that?" he stammered.

Scratch that earlier theory; no animal made that kind of noise. It sounded way, way too much like-

Kanji felt the blood drain from his face. Four apparent high-school kids getting put in one of the fanciest rooms in the inn now made total sense. So did the talismans hanging from the ceiling. "D-don't tell me...is there one here?"

"One here?" Souji's eyes narrowed as he glanced around him. "One what?"

"This room!" Kanji shakily clarified. "It, it was the one that announcer was staying in before she died!"

"Oh god, you said it!" Yosuke's voice was close to a wail. He'd folded his knees up to his chest and had both hands covering his face. "I was trying to block it out, and you had to go and say it!"

"...Well, that explains the talismans. But I'm sure it's fine," Souji said levelly, and Kanji would've had him pegged as totally calm - if it hadn't been for the yukata fabric clenched tightly in his fists.

Either way, Yosuke didn't seem consoled. He was off the futon now, still clutching one of the blankets and looking like he wanted to hide underneath it. "Why the hell didn't Yukiko tell us? First the hot spring, now this...we've been completely suckered!"

"Guys, come on. This is total superstition. If we just-"

Again, Souji was cut off by the wailing sound - which was definitely not the announcer lady, Kanji told himself, even if it sounded like sobbing this time and she'd been staying in this room and maybe even died here and _oh crap_

He grabbed a blanket; maybe Yosuke was onto something. "Th-there's no way I'm sleepin' through this!" he choked out.

Teddie shot to his feet, one arm pointing to the ceiling. "I've made up my mind! I'm going to Yuki-chan's room!"

"No you're not," was Souji's instant response.

"But Sensei, I have to!" Teddie protested, trying to squirm out of the death-grip Souji had on the hem of his robe. "I can't sleep soundly unless I'm watching everyone's sleeping faces as I drift off."

Souji held on tighter. "Then watch _ours_."

"I said _everyone's_, Sensei."

The girls' room? Did Ted have a death wish? Kanji had taken it for one of his usual lines at first, but the guy seemed serious.

"Sleeping faces?" Yosuke's frown lasted barely a moment before his eyes widened. "You're not actually gonna sneak - dude, you are!"

By now, Souji had grabbed Teddie's left leg instead. "No, he isn't!"

"Yes I am," Teddie chirped, then tried to hop away and tumbled to the floor again.

Yosuke fidgeted against the tatami. "Hey...um...what should we do?"

"I think that's obvious," Souji growled. "Or did you forget all those pails flying at your face?"

Senpai had a point. Accidentally crashing the hot springs had been bad enough; deliberately crashing the girls' room was a different story. Kanji had no idea what they'd start throwing this time, only that it would be far worse than buckets. "Then we'll have to spend the night here," he grumbled, leaning back on his hands and stretching his legs out in front of him. And that might've been the end of it - if the damn wailing hadn't started up again.

Yosuke had nearly tied his blanket in a knot. "No way! I can't! I won't!"

Souji shook his head, crisp and firm. "Yosuke, you'll have to. No way can we just barge into-"

"Alrighty! It'll be a surprise awakening for them!" Somehow, Teddie was now standing at the other end of the room. Kanji hadn't even heard him pull himself off the floor. "Just let me get ready first."

Yosuke frowned. "Ready? What's he-"

"It doesn't matter," insisted Souji, "because _we're__ not __going_."

Ghosts were scary. Girls might be scarier. "Senpai's right," Kanji said. "This ain't a good idea."

"I think it's a great idea," Yosuke pitched in - then, shrinking back slightly under Souji's glare, added, "C'mon, it's the _girls'_ room!"

Souji threw up his hands. "_So_?"

Yosuke stared first at him, then at Kanji, then back at Souji again. Finally, he sighed. "You know, sometimes I really wonder about you both."

* * *

"Now, now! Don't play hard to get!"

How the hell could an old woman be so damn fast? Why was she staying here to begin with? Kanji would've pondered these questions a little longer, if he hadn't been yelling at Noriko Kashiwagi while sprinting through the inn's second floor corridors. "L-leave me alone!"

Senpai would help him. No, wait, Senpai couldn't. Poor bastard hadn't reached the doorway before Ohtani got him in a full-on body tackle. Judging by the shrieks coming from behind Kanji, she'd already moved onto Yosuke.

Okay. Had to figure this out himself, then. Creepy as Kashiwagi was, she wasn't a ghost - meaning she'd eventually get tired. This corridor crossed with another up ahead; he'd just take a left and lose her. He totally had a plan. Kanji was just congratulating himself on keeping his head long enough to make one when a small figure stepped around the corner and forced him to stop dead.

Naoto - who was totally _in __a__ yukata_, was that weird or wonderful or both - raised her palms. "Please, watch where you're – Kanji-kun?"

Staring down at her - damn, she was little without those shoes - Kanji gulped and went with 'both'. "N-Naoto!"

Naoto stared up at him, flushed bright red, and lifted one arm as if to elbow him away. _It's __cool_, Kanji wanted to say, _you __look__ awesome __but __you basically __always __do __please __don't __shoot __me _- until he was reminded exactly why he'd been tearing down the corridor to begin with.

"Naughty, naughty boys," Kashiwagi purred, from way too close behind him. "You barge into our room with such _awful_ intentions, and then make us chase after you!"

"What," Naoto began, uselessly.

"Oh, no." Kashiwagi dodged neatly around Kanji's left shoulder and jabbed a finger toward Naoto's face. "Listen, you little whatever-you-are, you already stole the pageant, I'll be damned if I let you ruin this too!"

Eyes wide, Naoto flinched away. "I-I have no intention of-"

"Naoto-kun! Who're you talking wi-" Rise, now behind Naoto, abandoned the question and raised her eyebrows. "Kanji-kun? And Kashiwagi-sensei?"

Kashiwagi gave a curt, dismissive wave. "Great. First the freak, now the jailbait. Are the other two skulking around here as well? Not that it matters, they're obviously-"

"Obviously _what_?" snapped Chie, as she rounded the corner alongside Yukiko.

The latter frowned, blinked, then clasped her hands together and gave a quick bow of her head. " …Kashiwagi-sensei? Is - is your room to your liking? And, um…why are you out in the corridor? It's very late and-"

Somewhere nearby, Yosuke shrieked.

Chie's eyes narrowed. "I know that scream," she said, stepping forward past a bewildered-looking Naoto. "Hanamura! What are you doing?"

"He's-" Kanji started - and slammed to a halt when Kashiwagi snaked her arms around his waist. "Agh! Get offa me!"

"Mmm, such a _sturdy_ young man."

Kanji tried to flail away. "A-Amagi-senpai!"

Yukiko - awesome, badass, practically-inn-managing Yukiko - stepped in where Souji couldn't. "Kashiwagi-sensei, please respect the other guests! The Amagi Inn has strict rules against-"

"Against boys bursting into our rooms and jumping onto our futons?" He didn't need to see Kashiwagi to hear the smirk in her voice. "If so, Tatsumi and his friends didn't get the memo."

All four girls stared up at him, wide-eyed.

"Uh," said Kanji.

Yukiko, ashen-faced, kept glancing between him and Kashiwagi. "You - you mean they went into-"

There was totally a reasonable explanation for this. Unfortunately, he had no idea what it was, so when Yosuke plunged past him, smacking him in the arm and almost slamming into Chie, Kanji was grateful - or would've been, if the sound of Ohtani thundering down the corridor in pursuit hadn't ruined the effect.

"C'mon, tiger," she huffed. "Don't run so fast!"

In a desperate effort to avoid running Chie down, Yosuke had grabbed her by the shoulders. "Satonaka? I - oh, crap!" He jerked his hands back like she'd set him alight. "I swear, this is _not_ what it seems!"

"But it's not far off," Souji admitted as he limped into view, Teddie following close behind.

In Kanji's experience, Chie was usually the one to let the guys know just how dumb they were being. Demure, elegant Yukiko stuck to occasional barbed comments or random fits of laughter - except, apparently, when you pulled stupid shit on her home turf. "Kanji-kun! All of you!" she barked, with a sharp swipe of her hand. "You can't just barge into other guests' rooms! Ohtani-san, Kashiwagi-sensei, I sincerely apologize for their-"

"There's no need for apologies," Kashiwagi cut in, "provided you silly little girls just run along and play."

"Silly girls?" Chie shot back. "Better that than old Christmas cake!"

"You little bit-"

"Chie-senpai, Kashiwagi-sensei, try to remain calm." Naoto stepped swiftly between them, one palm raised to each. "This is not the place for-"

Chie shoved her arm aside. "Out the way, Naoto-kun. You are seriously not on my good side today, so don't get involved!"

Yukiko leveled her friend with a reproving look. "Chie, _please_."

This was the one thing guaranteed to stop a rage-stricken Chie - and after barely a moment's hesitation, she stepped back.

"Kashiwagi-sensei, Ohtani-san. I'm truly sorry for the night's events," Yukiko continued, level and smooth. "If you return to your rooms, the manager can address your concerns in full tomorrow morning. The Amagi Inn will certainly compensate you for any trouble."

"Trouble?" Ohtani leered at Yosuke, sniggering. "I don't think they're any trouble at all."

Yosuke's only response was a cringe. Teddie shrank back and said, "I think we're _in_ trouble. Lots of it."

Souji settled for holding his head in his hands. "Just for the record, this was probably the stupidest thing I've ever done."

"Serves you guys right," Rise chimed in. "Why'd you pick _their_ room?"

Hearing the girls talk about it, even Kanji had to admit the whole thing sounded creepy. He needed to set things straight. "We didn't! We jus' thought-"

"Oh, is the jailbait jealous?" Kashiwagi jeered, lips twisted into a sneer.

"Just listen a sec, we thought-"

Still looking vaguely disgusted, Chie shook her head. "Never mind that! Tatsumi, why the heck did you jump into this old witch's futon?"

"'Cause I thought she was you!" Kanji yelled.

The temperature in the room dropped ten degrees. Next to him, Yosuke leapt back two steps - and Chie, who'd already been holding back a glorious fit of temper, finally snapped.

Later, Kanji wouldn't be able to remember much of what followed. All that remained was the image of Chie lunging forward, one knee heading for his groin - and then, nothing but agony, regret, and the sound of Yosuke begging her not to do the same to him. After that, Kanji didn't do much except lie curled up on his side, whimpering.

At least, he consoled himself, one cheek pressed against the wooden floor, she hadn't galactic-punted him.

"Come on, Kashiwagi-sensei," said Ohtani, somewhere far away. "We can do tons better than these guys."

"Of course," Yukiko replied, sounding completely insincere. "Now, can everyone please return to their rooms?"

There was movement from above - including two people stepping over him - and the sound of footsteps fading down the corridors. Kanji glanced sideways to see Yosuke, crouched beside him with a wince of pure sympathy. "Dude," he said, "I know _exactly_ how you feel."

* * *

"I'm never listening to any of you again," Souji informed them.

Kanji shuffled awkwardly against the wooden bench. Yosuke, meanwhile, sighed and blew his fringe out of his eyes.

Senpai had been _pissed_. Spent ten minutes that morning telling the three other guys what idiots they were, and how he was the biggest idiot of all for going along with them. Then he'd vetoed Yosuke's idea of fleeing back to town before the girls woke up, and made them wait outside the inn instead.

"We're really sorry, Sensei!" Teddie wailed, on the verge of tears. He'd taken the lecture hardest of all.

Souji's expression softened. "Then tell the girls that, okay?" he told Teddie, and tapped him on the head.

A few minutes later, Chie and Yukiko walked through the inn's main doors, side by side, with Rise and Naoto trailing behind. "Let me guess," Souji called out, in a tone that didn't quite make it to cheerful. "We're banned for life?"

Shaking her head, Yukiko stalked over to the bench. "No. But you should be," she said, with a glare somewhere just below freezing point. "Kashiwagi and Ohtani were bad enough, but what if it hadn't been their room? Do you have any idea how much trouble you could've caused?"

"I think we already caused enough. We're sorry," Souji said, and all three guys nodded helpfully in turn. "We can apologize to Kashiwagi and Ohtani too."

Yukiko stared at each of them, lips narrowed into a white line - then sighed. Her shoulders slumped. "I don't think they cared, in the end. My mother's a different matter."

"I wish I hadn't lost it like that." Chie was staring at the ground, tracing paths in the dirt with her shoe. "She's our homeroom teacher, we have to deal with her all year!"

"Yeah, and she's a lech!" Yosuke pointed out, grimacing. "I don't blame you at all."

Chie looked at him for a moment, her head slightly cocked, then smiled. When she looked at Kanji, however, the smile turned forced. "Hey…Kanji-kun?"

Kanji dropped his hands to his lap on instinct. "Uh...s'up, Chie-senpai."

"I-I just wanted to say, I'm really sorry. For the kick in the, um...you know." She laughed nervously, hands fisted in the pockets of her jacket. "I mean, wow, I felt bad enough the first time round, even though you can totally take it and it was your fault for running over to the girls' side anyway and-"

He frowned. "First time?"

"This time," Yukiko quickly cut in.

"Y-yeah! This time. Forget I said anything," said Chie, brightly. "Oh, except the apology! I meant that part. Souji explained what'd happened while you were still rolling around on the floor, and I think it's incredibly dumb _and_ really creepy - but I shouldn't have kicked you. Not so hard, anyway."

"Oh. S'fine. No problem."

"And the bucket thing," she continued, glancing at the other girls. "We're all sorry for that too. We...kinda muddled up the schedule."

"I knew it!" Yosuke crowed, and punched his fist into his hand.

"Chie-senpai!" Rise pouted, hands on hips. "That was a girls' secret!"

"C'mon, Rise-chan, we have to 'fess up. We got the times wrong, we should have been out of the springs!"

"But given what you did later, you all deserved it," Yukiko muttered darkly.

Souji leaned round to look at Naoto, who'd been standing in silence behind Rise. "Going to tell us the same thing, Naoto-kun?"

Apparently, Naoto hadn't been paying attention. She jolted slightly and quickly clasped her hands behind her back. "No, I-"

"Nah, Naoto-kun wants to ask something else," Rise explained - earning a startled glare from Naoto. "Right, Naoto-kun?"

Naoto said, quick and clipped, "Senpai, please disregard this conversation."

"She's been worrying _all_ morning. She wants to know if any of you guys saw-"

"Rise-san! Stop it!"

Oh. _Oh_. Back in the springs, she thought they'd-

Brimming with resolve, Kanji squared his shoulders and declared, "I didn't see nothin'!"

Naoto blinked at him.

"Er, anything," he corrected, because maybe the bad grammar was why she was - no, no, her face hadn't changed at all. He switched tracks, trying his best not to panic. "N-not that I was trying to! I-I didn't even look!"

Her expression had started out suspicious, and at some point while he was speaking it'd morphed into a horrified stare. "Wh-what are you-"

Yosuke snorted. "Yeah, sure you didn't."

"I didn't! I was staring at the fricking floor!" Kanji yelled, then whirled on Yosuke. "_You_ were the one sayin' we should stay in there!"

"_What_?" Chie roared.

Souji cleared his throat. "Now, let's not be-"

Chie ignored him in favour of walloping Yosuke in the shoulder. "Ugh! Pervert! And the same goes for the rest of you!" She turned sharply on her heels. "C'mon, girls, we're leaving." With that, she stalked away, Yukiko following close behind and Rise yanking Naoto along by one arm.

Kanji lunged toward Yosuke, fists clenched. "Hanamura, you asshole!"

"Dude, that one was totally all you! And did you really have to drop _me_ in it as well?"

Like he needed any help making an ass of himself in front of Naoto. Standing there, breathing hard, Kanji decided he really should've kept his mouth shut - or put his boot in Yosuke's first. "I was tellin' the truth!"

"You know," Souji pointed out, hands shoved in his pockets and gaze fixed on the morning sky, "I really enjoy smoothing things over just so my friends can screw them up again."

Perched on the bench, elbows resting on his knees, Teddie let out a deep sigh. "Sensei, I don't think I like ryokans."

* * *

That evening found Kanji repeatedly sweeping the front step of the textiles store, trying to clear the leaves that were swirling in the brisk autumn wind. Every time he'd swept them away, the damn breeze just blew more of them back. Concentrating hard and muttering curses, he didn't notice Rise walking up from the tofu store until she called to him from the street.

"Might wanna give that up, Kanji-kun," she said, watching the leaves blow back again. "I just tried to do the same thing at the shop. You're not getting anywhere." She tipped her head and smirked. "Though I guess you're used to that by now, huh?"

Kanji grunted and swept harder.

"Nah, I'm kidding. Though you've gotta do something about Naoto, and I don't mean ogling her in a hot spring."

"I_ wasn't_ ogling!" he snapped. "None of your business anyway."

Except it was, in a roundabout way. Rise's aim to hook up two of her friends wasn't completely altruistic. She was a good actress, but even he'd read the look in her eyes when she first told him Souji and Naoto had started hanging out together. And hell, she had a point anyway.

Kanji let out a sigh, then leaned the broom against the shop wall and flopped down on the step. "But I made up my mind. I wanna try."

Rise arched an eyebrow. "With Naoto?"

"Yeah." He let out a breath. "I just don't think it's gonna work. She ain't interested in that stuff."

"Oh, she's not as uptight as you'd think." Rise sat down next to him, carefully adjusting her skirt. "Okay, I know, she barely knows what fun is - but she seemed to enjoy the hot springs. We had a really good time there."

"Glad someone did," Kanji muttered.

"Yep, it was great," Rise continued, ignoring him completely, then leant closer and added, "Naoto's very soft."

Except Rise must've said something else completely, because that made no sense. He'd probably just misheard. "Whassat?"

"I said _soft_, Kanji-kun. Soft skin, silky hair..." She trailed off with an approving hum. "I can see why you're into her!"

...Holy shit.

Kanji's vision began to go dark at the edges. "Y-you - you were - y-you got to -"

"Yep." Rise beamed cheerfully. "All three of us. At once."

Wait. He'd been here before. Multiple times, in fact, ever since their checkups at the hospital - because when Rise found a way to tease him, she never let it drop. "I-I know you. S'gonna be like the measurements, dammit," he choked out. "So quit it, now!"

"Fine, fine, I get it! Kanji-kun totally doesn't want to hear about what three very cute high-school girls did to his boyfriend in the hot springs."

Damn right he didn't. Or didn't _need_ to, at least. Because that was the type of thing you'd never get out of your mind ever, and the last thing he needed right now was the image of-

Kanji leaned his elbows on his knees, pressed his knuckles against his forehead, and tried not to think.

Abruptly, Rise stood up from the step. She looked down at him, head tilted and smile devilish. "But just so you know - those measurements? Completely on the money."

Still trying not to think, failing miserably, and squeezing the bridge of his nose in advance, Kanji stared up at her. "Y'came all the way up here just to tell me that, didn't you?"

Rise winked. "Yep. G'night, Kanji-kun," she said, then turned and walked back down the street, heels clicking against the concrete.


	27. Chapter 21

_A/N: Thanks to all who left feedback on the last chapter. Glad you felt it worked. (Of course, many thanks to all of you who leave feedback, full stop - I really appreciate the encouragement.)_

_Story so far: After two beauty contests and a very unusual play, the team spent a long, bucket-filled night at the ryokan.  
_

_In this part: Kanji asks for a totally-not-a-date, the team asks for some guidance, and Dojima asks for the truth.  
_

* * *

**November 4th, 2011**

Over the four days since the festival, Kanji had noticed a pattern emerging. A really annoying one.

The school bell would ring at the end of the day. He'd shove his textbooks and scrawled notes into his bag, occasionally needing to wake up first. Then he'd stride past the other pupils, open the classroom door, step out into the corridor - and not see Naoto waiting just beyond the shoe lockers.

She _always_ stood there. Kanji suspected she was investigating exactly who kept shoving envelopes in her locker, one of several reasons he hadn't yet added one himself. The first day she hadn't shown, he'd assumed she'd walked home with Rise - which was fine. His next, unhappier guess - that she'd gone off with Souji - definitely wasn't. Fortunately, he'd been wrong on both counts, since Senpai had been found quietly chatting with Rise by the school gate each afternoon (except for today, when he'd been trying to coax her away from the first floor fire alarm instead).

So, Naoto wasn't with them. She wasn't on the roof, or in the practice building, or even in the gym. Never around at breaks, either. And he hadn't seen her in town yesterday while school had been out. Maybe searching for her was a little weird - but if you had something you wanted to ask someone, you went and found them, right?

Except sometimes they didn't want to be found, no matter how hard you looked. Kanji, a man of limited patience, had finally given up for the day and started walking home instead.

He sighed and kicked his foot against the ground, scattering tiny pebbles across the footpath. Felt kind of petty - but it wasn't like anyone was around to see. Whether due to the cold or to the fact he'd spent an extra half-hour scouring the school for a stupid pint-size detective, the route home above the Samegawa banks was pretty much empty, and the few kids walking back the same way were keeping their distance. Reputations stuck. Maybe Naoto thought the same thing. Maybe that was why she was avoiding- -

No, wait. She'd been bolting out of school, sure, but it was damn arrogant to think he had anything to do with that.

A sudden breeze whipped past and he ducked his chin to his chest to beat the chill. Probably needed to put on his school jacket instead of leaving it draped over his shoulders. He stopped at the side of the path and shrugged off the jacket - but as he was slipping his arms into the sleeves, he glanced down at the riverbank. Someone was standing at the edge of the grey water; a someone who was small, dressed in a Yasogami High boy's uniform, and wearing a dark blue cap.

The riverbank? Why the hell had Naoto come here? Wasn't near to her apartment, or the police station, or anything at all except a damn river. The winds could get brutal along the water, too. Definitely not a place you'd want to hang around on a cold day. Maybe something was wrong?

The steps leading down to the river were nearby and Kanji walked to them in long, swift strides. Unfortunately he wasn't built for stealth, and he'd only reached the third step down when Naoto noticed him. Her eyes widened, then narrowed again - and he had the sudden feeling he was the very last person she wanted to see.

"Kanji-kun." Her voice was utterly flat.

Kanji nodded to her as he jogged down the remaining steps. "Yo, Naoto."

"Are you -" Another gust of wind lashed by and she quickly grabbed the brim of her cap. "Are you following me?"

"No way!" he blurted. "Why'd you think - I mean, I was _lookin'_ for you, sure. Not following. You ran outta school too damn quick for that."

"I had matters to tend to."

His eyebrows rose. "In the Samegawa?"

Naoto shot him a quick glare then aimed it at the river instead. "I am _attempting_ to ruminate over the case," she said, crisp and terse. "Distractions make that difficult."

…Forget this. No point asking someone a question when they'd just called you a 'distraction'. He'd have to try another time, Kanji decided, some day when Naoto wasn't being thorny and skulking around a cold and windy riverbank. "Fine," he grumbled, already turning to leave. "Go wild ruminating."

He was almost back at the top of the steps when Naoto called out. "Kanji-kun, wait."

Kanji immediately froze - but forced himself not to look back.

"I apologize," she said from behind him. It was hard to be certain - after all, it _was_ Naoto - but she sounded sincere. "My temperament is not- -I'm simply frustrated at our progress in apprehending the culprit." She paused. "Or lack thereof."

The wind would have drowned it out, but the pause had been long enough for a sigh. And she'd been bringing this up ever since they yanked her out of that underground base - but by this point, Kanji could sympathize.

"Something'll happen soon," he said, trying to sound confident. It had to. The Midnight Channel never stayed silent for long.

"Perhaps," Naoto answered glumly. When he finally turned around, she was gazing at the base of the steps, one hand holding down her cap.

The wind swept over the river again, rushing along the footpath. Kanji grit his teeth and shoved his hands deep in his pockets. Down by the water, Naoto looked like she was trying to shrink into her jacket.

"Hey, you cold?" he asked.

"No," Naoto shot back. After a beat, she shook her head, shoulders slumping slightly. "…A little. It helps me think."

Kanji was fairly certain that if he stood out in the cold as long as she had, his brain would freeze. Maybe super smart people worked differently. Or maybe they didn't, and Naoto was currently being not very smart at all.

"Should go home. I am," he told her - then, on a burst of courage, kept going. "We, uh, walk the same way. So w-we could do it together. Walking. S'getting late, anyway."

Naoto looked at her wristwatch. "It's half-past four."

"W-well, it'll get late soon!" Kanji squared his shoulders and tried not to shout. "Now, you comin' or what?"

He expected her to challenge him again - why hadn't he quit babbling sooner? - but instead, she climbed the steps up to the footpath and started walking.

Something was off, though. Naoto seemed…awkward. Even more than usual. They walked side-by-side in silence, occasionally huddling down against the wind and, in Kanji's case, trying not to curse when it practically blew right through his thin shirt. Eventually, the strongest gusts died down, and he figured now might be a good time to ask his question - or at least to find out what was bothering her so much.

He looked down at her, though all he could see was the top of her cap. "You've been rushing off after class all week."

A long pause. "Yes."

It seemed like something else should follow that, maybe even an explanation - but Naoto stayed quiet. Time for the direct approach. "Why?"

Naoto tilted her head up at him, then away. "I - there were…certain events recently that -" she began, but stopped short. A few beats later, she spoke again, her voice steady and low. "My reasons are of no import."

Kanji hadn't known Naoto long at all. Even so, he'd still learned enough to suspect that if she said something so often, she'd wind up believing it - and that maybe she knew that. If he pushed her now, he'd get the same answer over and over and have her convinced of it too.

"Thought maybe you were with Rise," he said instead. He paused. "Or Souji-senpai."

Naoto said nothing.

He'd been prepared for defensiveness, confusion, plain indifference, whatever. He didn't know what to do with silence, because you couldn't do anything. Maybe Naoto knew _that_, too. And it was a difficult silence, the sort that got stretched out further and further, far too taut, until somebody finally broke - but this time, to his surprise, it was her.

"You said you were looking for me. For what purpose?"

Dammit.

Kanji, who'd really been hoping she wouldn't ask and had no clue what to do now she had, plumped for denial. "I - uh - s'nothing, really…"

"Very well," Naoto responded, before he had time to finish speaking. And that was probably a good thing, he could write off this attempt and try again later when- -

No, screw that. Time to man up. He stopped walking, Naoto halting a few steps further on. "Hang on and listen," he told her.

She turned to stare up at him, frowning in confusion.

Kanji swallowed and hoped for sensible sentences. "I-I - do you-" He stopped, rubbed the back of his neck, and took a deep breath. "I'm going to Aiya. Right now. If-if you wanna tag along, then…"

He trailed off. No response. All he could hear was the whistling wind, the rustling leaves, the sound of their footsteps against concrete, and eventually, Naoto's very quiet, "Oh."

_Oh_? What the hell did _oh_ mean?

Wasn't like this was a _date_ or anything - not like Naoto had asked him on back in May, except she hadn't really, he'd just read her all wrong (in more ways than one) and maybe she was doing the same thing right now and- -

Starting to panic, Kanji backpedalled. "I-I mean, y'don't _have_ to, I'm just asking!"

Naoto blinked twice then made a crisp gesture in what he took to be a completely random direction, mostly because it pointed straight into the river. "No, I-I jus ought to-"

"Hey, Kanji-kun!"

Kanji swore under his breath.

The voice belonged to Naoki, who was jogging down the path toward them and waving as he ran. Much as his timing sucked, it wasn't surprising to see him. Even before everything with Saki, he'd usually come down to the river when he wanted to wriggle out of chores around the liquor shop. Of course, Konishi-san had quickly figured his son out and Kanji had spent many afternoons during elementary school trying to help Naoki find new hiding places along the banks. Right now, he would've settled for one of his own.

Naoki reached them in seconds, smiling and only slightly out of breath. "Hi, Kanji-kun. Shirogane," he added, with a quick bow of his head that Naoto returned.

"Yo." Kanji nodded toward the direction Naoki had run from. "Needed to get away from the shop?"

Naoki shrugged, lips tight, and fiddled with the buttons on his school jacket. "Yeah. You know." Then the smile returned, and he tapped his fist against Kanji's forearm. "I still owe you a trip to Aiya, remember? Wanna go there now?"

That was right; last time Kanji had asked, Naoki'd blown him off in favour of Souji. Still feeling kind of petulant, he hadn't yet followed up. "Well, yeah, but-"

"But?"

He looked down at Naoto, still standing opposite him and looking like she might be having a very discreet panic attack. "I, uh-j-just asked Naoto that."

Naoki folded his arms against his chest. His gaze had drifted down to the river. "Oh…I see. I don't want to-"

"N-no, it's fine," Naoto cut in. She straightened, both hands clasped behind her back. "I should be leaving and-"

"But I interrupted you guys, I don't-"

"I assure you, it's absolutely-"

"Stop it, both of you," Kanji snapped, not in the mood to deal with two dorks trying to out-polite each other. "All three of us can go, right?"

Glancing between him and Naoto, Naoki hesitated - then shrugged. "Okay, sure."

Naoto gave a tight nod. It looked a little defeated. "Very well."

* * *

Naoki stared through Aiya's open door, watching the rain sheeting outside. "Wow. I think I preferred the gales."

"I was remiss in not checking the forecast," Naoto quietly admitted, then glanced up at Kanji. "This may well last until midnight."

The storm had kicked in shortly after they'd placed their orders. Getting home would suck, but it beat the weather earlier hands down; wind couldn't offer them a new lead in the case. Kanji nodded back, one hand gripping the edge of the door frame. "Yeah. We should head out and - -"

"You gonna leave that open all night, Kanji-chan?"

He glared over his shoulder at Otsuka, who waved back then pointed at the door - sparking a scowl from Kanji in return. Didn't matter how awesome the guy's food was, that _Kanji-chan_ crap had gotten old years ago. "Don't call me that! And quit whining, we're goin'!" He stepped under the shop awning, and nodded toward the street. "C'mon, let's go. Otsuka's being an ass."

The last one through the door, Naoki closed it behind him. "Nobody brought an umbrella?" he asked, shivering slightly and gazing at the leaden sky.

Naoto shook her head. "As I said. Remiss."

"Left mine at home," Kanji added.

Naoki sighed. "I guess we'll just run home and dry off," he said, then tapped Kanji's forearm. "Take care, Kanji-kun. Nice to see you, Shirogane." With that he ran off, his figure soon becoming a blur in the heavy rain.

"I'll be going now too," said Naoto. "Don't forget to watch the-"

"I got an umbrella at the shop," Kanji interrupted. "A spare."

"Thank you, but that won't be necessary."

Maybe not. It was, however, necessary that Kanji not be a grade-A jerk - which involved _not_ letting Naoto get drenched. "You ain't gonna run home in the rain, alright?" He swept his arm toward the north end of the district. "C'mon, the shop's not far."

Naturally, it took two more attempts to persuade her, and they sprinted to the shop in less time than Kanji had spent convincing her to do it. Still, they were both soaked on arrival. He initially fumbled for his keys, figuring Ma would've closed up early due to the weather - but when he tried pushing open the door, she was kneeling in her usual spot at the back of the shop.

"Don't drip all over the floor, Kanji-chan, I've only just…" She trailed off, peering around him. "Hmm? Who's this?"

He glanced back at Naoto, standing under the awning outside while wringing out her waterlogged hat. "Uh, sorry, Ma. We're just here t'get-"

"Oh, I remember! The young man who kept asking after you. Naoto-kun, isn't it?"

Naoto quickly put on her cap, then stepped inside the shop and gave a short bow. "I apologize for the disturbance. Kanji-kun has offered to loan me an umbrella."

She didn't mention the 'young man' part. Kanji kept quiet.

"Ah, he's a good boy, really. Let me fetch it, Kanji-chan, you'll ruin the mats otherwise." Ma slowly rose to her feet, and disappeared through the door to the back rooms of the shop.

Kanji turned to Naoto. "I-I'd show you round...but you been here before." He hesitated. "I, uh, never said thanks."

"For what?"

"Helping the others find me. Ted used the stuff you told 'em to figure out where I was."

She looked away. "I simply provided what information I could," she said, quick and quiet.

"But you didn't have to." He fixed his gaze on a rack of woollen scarves, willing himself not to blush. "So, thanks for doing it."

"Here we are." Ma had reappeared in the doorway, holding a clear plastic umbrella. As she handed it to Naoto, she shook her head. "My, you look drenched! Did you have to come far in the storm?"

"Actually, we were only at Aiya," Naoto explained.

"Were you now?" Ma shot Kanji a look - one that said he'd be getting a lecture about meal times and spoiled appetites as soon as Naoto left. "Well, you're welcome to stay here till you dry off."

"Thank you for the offer, but I should leave promptly. I would prefer to be home before dark." Naoto bowed her head again. "It was a pleasure to meet you again, Tatsumi-san."

Ma smiled gently. "Such a well-mannered boy!" she cooed. "I do hope you'll rub off on Kanji-chan."

No way could he ever sound like Naoto - at least not without swallowing a few dictionaries - but it wasn't worth getting riled up over. Ma was just being Ma. Kanji grunted half-heartedly and followed Naoto back outside.

The rain was still sheeting, and by now it had formed large puddles along the side of the road. "Shame this didn't start up earlier," he said, chuckling. "Coulda ordered Aiya's rainy day special."

"The Mega Beef Bowl," Naoto said, then - since he must've looked as surprised as he felt - added, "Chie-senpai mentioned it. It didn't sound healthy."

Figured Naoto wouldn't have ordered it for herself. Chie, meanwhile, already had an bet going with Kanji on who'd conquer the bowl first. "If anyone can handle it, she can," he said with a grin. "Don't forget to watch tonight, yeah?"

"Of course not." Naoto's brow furrowed. "Though I remain unconvinced I will actually see anything."

"We saw you. Saw Rise too, and the senpai saw me. Dunno how it works, but it does."

"...I hope so." Naoto opened her umbrella, and had already stepped into the street before Kanji spoke again.

"Hey, Naoto."

She glanced over her shoulder. "Hmm?"

"T-thanks. For coming to eat with me - and Naoki," he quickly added.

"Ah. Well, thank you for inviting me," Naoto managed, a little stiffly, and followed it with a swift tip of her cap. "Goodnight, Kanji-kun."

Kanji nodded back, turning to the door as Naoto left. Though he'd meant to head inside the shop, he couldn't help glancing behind him to watch her go - weaving her way around the puddles and soon vanishing into the pouring rain.

* * *

**November 5th, 2011**

Chie squirmed on the bench opposite him and drummed her fingers against the table - just like she'd been doing since arriving at the food court. "So, you saw it too," she asked, without making it sound like a question.

Kanji nodded. "Not much of it, though." He'd stared at the screen so long he swore he could still see flashes of static now, but the faint outline of a person had never sharpened. The image been even hazier than both Naoto's and Rise's appearances.

"Same here. But it was definitely a person," Chie said, finally dropping the finger-drumming in favour of tapping her foot against one of the table's legs. It matched the rhythm of the rain against the shelter roof. "Souji didn't call about meeting here, but I thought, y'know. The usual routine."

Which was the problem. A month ago, they'd had a closed case. Now, they had more waiting around, more trips inside the television - and more chances that they might screw up. "Shouldn't _be_ a routine. We gotta stop this asshole."

"We will! That's the one good thing about this - we go inside the television, kick the crap outta Shadows, and get super strong for the time when we take the bad guy down." She wagged a playful finger at him. "C'mon, don't deny you feel it too!"

Her grin must've been catching; Kanji could feel the corners of his mouth curl up into a small smile. "Y'gotta point. Shame we have to sit out in the cold to do it."

She rolled her eyes - a response he suspected she'd picked up from Yosuke. "It's not _that_ cold. Or at least I don't feel it," she insisted. "Besides, the rain was way worse last night." Kanji was about to point out that the rain wasn't actually the problem, but her gaze had already shifted over his left shoulder, at the sliding doors that led back inside Junes. "Hey, there's Yosuke and Teddie. I bet the others'll be here in no time."

Kanji twisted to look behind him. Yosuke had been waylaid by an unhappy customer as soon as he walked outside, but Teddie was still moving around the tables toward the picnic bench - or, more precisely, shuffling. Guy looked like he could barely keep upright; Kanji half-expected him to pitch over one of the plastic chairs. When he finally reached them, all he managed in greeting was a limp wave. "...Hi, Chie-chan and Kanji-chan."

Chie studied him closely. "Jeez, Teddie. You look beat!"

Dishevelled and slightly soggy clothes, shuffling gait, bruised-looking eyes. Kanji tipped his head. "You remind me of this movie I saw. Had zombies in it."

"Teddie's too tired to be a movie star," Ted whined, collapsing down onto the bench and flopping against Kanji's right shoulder. "Chie-chan, they made me work _all__ night_."

Her eyes widened in concern. "Seriously?"

"Don't go feeling sorry for him." Yosuke, who must've escaped the customer, leaned over and lightly cuffed Teddie's right arm. "Serves you right for crashing on the beds in housewares again!"

Kanji frowned down at Ted - but given the little guy had his face pressed into Kanji's biceps, he probably couldn't tell. "So y'missed the channel?"

"Junes has _lots_ of televisions, Kanji-chan," he said, muffled. "And the people working in electronics are bear-y easy to dodge."

Yosuke slipped onto the bench beside Chie, still glaring at Teddie. "Unlike the staff in housewares. Dude, I wrangled you this job, you've gotta be more-"

"Later, Hanamura," Chie interrupted, pointing at the doors. "Everyone's here now. You can whine at Teddie later."

Over his shoulder, Kanji watched Souji, Yukiko, Rise and Naoto walk out of the store and weave quickly through the tables toward the shelter. After brief greetings and a quick reshuffling of positions - in other words, Teddie trying to arrange all the girls around him before ending up between Kanji and Souji - the entire team was seated.

Souji was the first to speak, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table. "So. Everyone watched last night, right?"

Everyone nodded.

"I'd heard of the channel, but never believed it." Naoto shook her head, almost wincing. "To think a master of deduction and evidence would strain her eyes over an urban legend like this...yet, I definitely saw someone."

Yosuke smirked at her. "I guess _masters__ of __deduction_ can get it wrong too," he teased, earning a dark glare from Naoto. "But yeah, I saw someone as well, and I have no idea who."

Souji nodded. "Same. Could anyone tell who it was?"

"From a fuzzy picture like that?" Kanji scoffed. "No way." It'd been hard enough to _see_ the person, let alone recognize them.

"Well, has anyone become famous around here lately?" Yukiko asked - surprising Kanji. He'd figured her and Rise were busy having some sort of competition, given they'd both been gazing at Souji since they arrived.

"There was that politician who visited to quell the rumours about the fog." Naoto had given up glowering at Yosuke and was now frowning at the table instead. "But the chances of him being the next victim are slim. He returned to the city immediately after his inquiry."

"I don't think it was him either," Teddie said, then stretched and let out a yawn. "…But from what I saw…wasn't the person on the screen pretty small?"

Chie arched her eyebrows in doubt. "The image was way too fuzzy to make out any details like that, Teddie. It was probably just your imagination."

Smile perfectly innocent, Souji nudged him in the arm. "Maybe you dreamt it. I hear Junes stocks wonderful beds in housewares."

"Not funny, Sensei. Last night was the worst ever!" Teddie wailed, flinging himself against Kanji's shoulder again - then quickly added, "Except for the ryokan."

Memory cast back to a dark and agonizing time, Kanji reflexively covered his groin. Yosuke and Souji just grimaced.

"Let's change the subject," muttered the latter. "Did you sense anyone in the television world?"

"Nope. No-one's come so far." Teddie nodded to Rise, who was sitting at the far end of the opposite bench. "Rise-chan could try too, but I should be able to tell."

Rise quit staring at Souji just long enough to respond. "I think Teddie's right. We might have to wait another night."

"Guess so. Think this rain'll keep up?" Souji asked.

Everyone turned to Rise. "Weather forecast says it'll last through tomorrow, Senpai," she said.

"I still think memorizing the entire forecast is really weird," said Chie, with a quick shake of her head.

"Only a little," Souji said, smiling at Rise. She beamed right back, cheeks flushed pink. "But we know what to do. Don't forget to check the channel again tonight."

* * *

The rest of the day passed quickly. After leaving Junes, Kanji headed straight back to the textiles shop; Ma hadn't been feeling well that morning, so he'd promised to take over after lunch and handle the afternoon delivery. Customer service wasn't one of his strong points - something Ma gently pointed out when he told her to go rest - but the heavy rain was keeping most people indoors anyway. It made for slow business. To keep from getting bored, he figured he'd make the best of it and clean the place up. By six o'clock, he'd swept the floors, wiped the insides of the windows, catalogued their spools of thread, and rotated their display of winter scarves and hats. The delivery van didn't arrive until after seven, a different guy than usual driving. He kept apologizing for being so late, the rain was terrible and hadn't the weather in town been strange for the past few months?

Kanji nodded in agreement (yeah, all the rain and fog was totally weird), thanked him for the delivery, and tried to keep the last roll of cotton dry as he carried it indoors.

Organizing the new stock had always been his job, and he'd hoped it'd kill some more time - but by the time he finished up it was still only ten o'clock. Now slightly frustrated, and wishing the Midnight Channel was the Early Evening Channel instead, Kanji decided to reorganize all the displays in the shop. Showcase their new stock, get samples of the best fabrics, freak his mother out when she came downstairs the next morning, that kind of thing.

The first time his phone rang was around eleven-thirty. Since he was carrying a majorly bulky box of yarn, he ignored it. Probably just someone reminding him to check the Channel - or maybe just Rise, who liked to call and bug him whenever she got bored.

But seconds after the ring-tone cut out, the phone rang a second time.

Something wasn't right.

He set the box down by the shop counter and fished his phone out of his back pocket. Yosuke's ID was flashing on the screen.

Didn't make sense. Hanamura and him had only ever exchanged texts - if 'exchanging' meant Hanamura implying certain things about Kanji's preferences and Kanji hammering out a stream of obscenities in response. The single time he could remember the guy actually calling him was when Souji had left his cell at home and wanted to round everyone up at Junes. There had to be something going on.

Stomach already sinking, Kanji flipped open the phone. "Yo, s'up?"

_"Dude,__ are__ you __at __the__ shop?"_ Yosuke sounded breathless, and under his voice Kanji could hear two sets of rapid footsteps. _"Souji's__ at __the __police __station __and- -"_

"The station?" Kanji cut in. "The hell's goin' on?" In recent years, he'd basically had a season pass to the cop shop - but Souji was different. Souji didn't get in trouble, didn't have anything to prove, and above all wasn't him.

_"I dunno, his uncle took him there - but it doesn't matter, we've gotta go help him!"_

"Then I'm goin' too. You'll pass our shop on the- -"

_"I know, that's why I called. Ted and me are on our way now. Be outside, okay?"_

"Yeah. I'll be there," Kanji said, then hung up.

Quietly as he could, he dashed upstairs to grab his jacket and umbrella. It didn't seem like he'd woken Ma. Good thing, too; whatever reason he had for rushing to the police station at midnight, she wouldn't like it. Two minutes later, he was waiting outside the shop, watching the rain still pouring out in the street and dripping from the awning above him - but another ten minutes passed before Yosuke and Teddie finally appeared at the south end of the street. They jogged toward the shop, Yosuke dodging the puddles and Teddie splashing straight through.

Ted arrived first, damp despite the umbrella clutched in his hand. "Come on, Kanji-chan. Sensei's in trouble!"

"So let's go!" Kanji shot back, opening his own umbrella and breaking into a jog. Honestly, Souji was probably fine - but by now, _nothing_ seemed right. Take-Mikazuchi, usually pretty quiet outside the television, had started kicking around inside his skull; a wordless stream of jarring noises and sensations that Kanji couldn't decode. Somehow, it felt like a warning.

* * *

The trip to the police station hadn't taken long. Not that it really mattered; Souji wasn't going anywhere. Kanji had been turning things over in his head since leaving the shop, and he still couldn't think of one good reason why Dojima would drag his own nephew in for questioning. Then again, cops didn't need _good_ reasons. They had enough bullshit ones.

"So…what do we do?" Yosuke asked. "Just bust in there and grab him?"

Kanji stared up at the station - the one building in Inaba still brightly lit so late at night - and shrugged. "Best idea we got."

"Then let's go get Sensei!" Teddie closed his umbrella then scurried up the station steps, trying to dodge the rain. It was falling more heavily now; fat droplets that bounced off the road, and pounded against his own umbrella so loudly that Kanji almost missed his phone ringing for the third time that night.

He pulled it from his pocket, not bothering to check the caller ID. "Yeah, s'up?"

_"Did you watch the channel?"_

Naoto calling him was a surprise. Might've been a pleasant one, if he hadn't been waiting outside a police station - and if her voice hadn't sounded so wrong. "No…there's stuff going down, and-"

"_The __figure __we__ saw __- __it __was __Nanako-chan!"_

Kanji sucked a breath through his teeth.

Nanako was the one? How the hell had they missed that? "Holy shit. We gotta get to her house and-"

_"No, I'm there right now, but I'm too late - the kidnapper's already taken her."_

He briefly considered bitching Naoto out for trying to tackle the culprit alone - but deep down, he knew he'd have done the same thing. He'd gotten Topsicles for Nanako, walked around the Junes grocery with her and Souji, even shown her a couple of the glove puppets he'd made. He knew her. So did the rest of the team.

So why hadn't they recognized her sooner?

"But - it ain't- -" Kanji paused, struggling to wrench his thoughts into actual words. "I-I mean, Nanako-chan wasn't even on TV!"

At the top of the steps, Yosuke whipped around. "Nanako-chan what? What's going on?"

_"No, she wasn't. I'll explain later. Chie-senpai, Yukiko-senpai and Rise-chan already know, they're on their way and I'm trying to get hold of everyone else, but Souji-senpai isn't here either, I don't understand where he-"._

"I know," Kanji cut in, if only to force Naoto to take a breath. "He's stuck at the cop shop."

"_What_?_Why __is __he__-_"

"I'm there now with Yosuke and Ted. We're gonna get him out." Kanji climbed the station steps, soon reaching a severely rattled Yosuke. "You ain't far away - so call up everyone else and meet us here, yeah?"

_"…Yes. We'll be there as soon as possible. Don't do anything rash."_

Yosuke made a grab for the phone. "Dude, is that Naoto? Lemme talk to her!" Before Kanji could react, he snatched the cell and pressed it to his ear. "Hey, this is Yosuke. What were you saying about Nanako-chan?"

As he closed his umbrella, Kanji peered through the fogged glass of the station doors. A couple of cops were milling around inside, and another was half-asleep at the reception desk. No need for a full staff at night; nothing ever happened in Inaba. At least, it never used to.

"Oh, _crap!_ Are you sure?" Yosuke ran a hand through his hair, sweeping away droplets of water. "Did you look everywhere? Check the bedrooms, maybe she's- -"

Teddie had been standing in silence, both palms pressed flat against the glass. When he spoke, his voice was the quietest Kanji had ever heard. "Is something wrong with Nana-chan? Why's Nao-chan calling about her?"

Kanji gripped his shoulder. "Don't worry, Ted. We'll figure it out. C'mon, Senpai's waiting for us."

One good thing about repeatedly being pulled in by the cops: by the third or fourth time, you had the layout of the station down cold. All they needed to do was find out which room Souji was in. Kanji pushed open the doors, strode to the reception desk, and smacked both hands against the wooden surface.

Startled, the dozing cop almost fell out of his chair. "Hey-! What're you-"

"Seta. Dojima's nephew," Kanji growled, leaning even further forward. "First or second interview room?"

The element of surprise paid off. So did the height advantage. "S-second," the cop stammered, "b-but-"

No point waiting for the rest. Kanji stormed past him, Teddie following close behind and Yosuke - still talking to Naoto - bringing up the rear. He led them down the long, cramped corridor to the back of the station, finally stopping outside a plain wooden door labelled "Interview Room 2".

Teddie knelt down on the tiles beside the door and tried to squint through the keyhole. "I can see Sensei! And his uncle's there too!"

"Dojima-san needs to know what you found," Yosuke was saying to Naoto. "Stay on the line, alright?" He turned to Kanji, lowering the phone from his ear. "Souji's in there?"

"Looks like."

Yosuke's jaw tightened. "Then what're we waiting for?" he snapped, then shoved the door open and barged into the interview room.

Dojima, standing just inside, swung round in surprise. "The hell're you-"

"Nanako-chan's missing!" Yosuke thrust Kanji's phone toward him. "Naoto's on the line, she'll explain!"

Dojima blinked at him for a moment - then grabbed the phone. "Shirogane?" he snapped. "You there? What the hell's going on?"

Kanji wasn't sure which was worse - the look on his face as Naoto explained what'd happened, or the look on Souji's. Senpai not only didn't look surprised to see them, he didn't even move. He stayed slouched in his chair, staring at the wooden surface of the table.

"Hey," Adachi piped up, nervously. "I think you guys should head outside now and-"

Suddenly, Dojima shoved the phone back into Yosuke's hand. He pulled out his own, punched a few keys, then held it to his ear. Standing close by, Kanji could hear the faint, slightly robotic voice of a phone company recording.

"Nanako isn't answering, is she?" Souji asked quietly.

Dojima stared at the phone in his hand, ashen-faced. "Is this true? Has she-"

"Uncle, this didn't need to happen, we could have- -"

With a sharp shake of his head, Dojima tried the intercom on the desk instead. "Traffic, anyone there?"

_"Traffic Division, Ohta speaking."_

"There's been a kidnapping. Get your men on it immediately!" He continued barking orders, something about checkpoints that Kanji didn't quite catch. He was too busy watching Souji.

He swallowed. "Senpai, you okay?"

"It was that letter," Souji said, without looking up. "That was why Uncle - I'm such an idiot, I should've been- -"

"Dammit, there's no time for this right now!" Dojima struck his fist hard against the table, scattering a short pile of papers. Souji didn't flinch.

_"__Um,__ a-alright,"_ stammered Ohta. _"I'll __try __contacting__ each__ of __the __departments..."_

Didn't sound like he meant it. Didn't convince Dojima, either. Cursing under his breath, he lifted his hand from the intercom. Kanji watched it curl into a fist. "Idiots."

"Dojima-san, wait. Even if you think this is connected to the case, we can't-" Adachi had been trying to block the door, but Dojima pushed him aside. "Hey, hang on, where are you-"

"I'm gonna go look for my daughter!" Dojima snapped - then stormed out into the corridor.

"But you don't have any leads on who –" Adachi lunged forward as if to follow, but stopped short of the door. "Oh, man...what am I supposed to do now?"

"Let Souji go," Yosuke instantly answered. "Then we can go look for her too. Please, Adachi-san!"

"But I- -"

"You heard." They didn't have _time_ for this crap. Fists clenched at his sides, Kanji tipped his head to Souji. "We're leaving, an' he's coming with us."

"Look, I can't just- -"

Once again Adachi was cut off - this time by Chie barrelling through the open door, the other girls in tow. "Guys! We just saw Souji's uncle barging past, is he going after Nanako-chan? Should we follow him?"

Adachi raised his palms. "Whoa, hey! If I let all you guys in here, then I'm really in trouble! And we don't even know- -"

"Quit your bitching! The hell are we still sitting here for when Senpai's family's in danger?" He'd tried to keep it together, but something in this idiot's attitude made Kanji see red - and he lunged forward on instinct, one hand snaring around Adachi's collar. "You gonna own up if something happens? Huh?"

"Kanji-kun!"

It was Naoto's voice, loud and firm. Once again, Kanji instantly let go.

Damn, she had him whipped. And she should've _gotten_ it, he thought, staring at the far side of the room while Adachi readjusted his suit jacket. She wanted to go help Nanako too, she'd run off to the damn house by herself to do it. So why waste time now?

"If we run out blindly," she continued, softer now, "we will have no idea to begin. We should review the facts before taking action."

Typical detective crap. The worst part was, she was totally right - but Kanji kept his gaze fixed on the wall all the same.

"What facts?" Chie protested, behind him. "We don't know anything about this guy."

"We know that the front door at Nanako-chan's house was open. I examined it, and found no trace that entry had been forced."

Yosuke whistled. "Oh, man. The culprit didn't break in at all - Nanako-chan just opened the door!"

"But remember what she said at the hot springs?" Naoto said, though Kanji wasn't sure what she meant. "'I always do what my dad tells me, like not opening the door for strangers'."

"So maybe the culprit's someone Nana-chan knows," offered Teddie. "Any ideas, Sensei?"

When Kanji looked back, Souji was rifling through the papers on the table. "No. The only adults she knows are our neighbours and her teachers - plus Uncle Dojima and Adachi-san, of course."

_Adachi-san_ was currently being an asshole. He kept trying to usher Souji away from the table. More worried about the damn papers than Nanako, Kanji thought, and grit his teeth. "Hey, those are Dojima-san's, you shouldn't-"

"Let's change perspectives," Naoto interrupted. "Each victim was taken at a different location, yet was thrown into a TV almost immediately after being kidnapped. Therefore, the culprit must be taking a large-screen television with him as he goes."

Yukiko's forehead creased in thought. "But then he'd need a big vehicle, not just a car."

"Indeed. I'd expect someone to notice that, especially since most of the victims vanished during the day."

"So it's someone Nanako-chan knows, who has a van, or a truck...but it's a truck that can't be seen?" Perched on the edge of the table, Rise pulled a face. "That doesn't make sense!"

"Maybe they just didn't notice it," Chie said, with a small shrug. "But what sort of vehicle would blend in like that?"

"A delivery truck." Souji was staring at a sheet of paper on the table, one finger pressed over a line near the bottom. "These papers cover Yamano's murder. There's a deliveryman mentioned right here." He looked up. "And I order from the shopping channel pretty often."

Naoto's eyes widened. "Of course...if Nanako-chan regularly receives your packages, the person delivering them wouldn't be a stranger at all!"

Kanji's memories of his kidnapping were almost non-existent - but, if he concentrated hard, one stuck out. "I remember now! There was a delivery to the shop, the day I was taken!"

"The deliveryman...?" Adachi jerked away from the table, fumbling for his phone. "Dojima-san put this stuff together, I've gotta go tell him about this!"

Jerk just wanted to kiss up to his boss. Kanji glared after him as he ran out of the door - then looked back at Naoto, who'd moved next to Souji at the table.

"After resigning from his last job," she said, reading from the sheet of paper, "he took up the family delivery business...and before that he was...a council secretary! Taro Namatame!

Souji nodded grimly. "The enka singer's husband. And his address isn't far from here."

Adachi walked back in the room, slipping his phone into his jacket pocket with his shoulders slumped. He looked up, met the gaze of the entire team - and his expression turned startled. "Uh..."

"Adachi-san," Souji said, barely louder than a murmur.

Hesitating, Adachi glanced across each of the team in turn. "If there's been a break in the case," he said, carefully, "then I'd better hurry to the scene. I'll just have to hope that nothing happens here while I'm gone." He turned back to the door. "I didn't see anything."

Seconds passed, his footsteps echoing down the corridor, before Yosuke finally spoke up. "Guys, let's get to Namatame's place! Dojima-san's probably on his way there now."

"Damn straight!" Kanji punched his fist into his hand. "We're gonna go rescue Nanako-chan!"

And he wanted to believe it, wanted the others to believe it too - but when they all nodded in unison, Souji was the only one who didn't look convinced.

* * *

Travel by foot was the only option. Since neither Yukiko nor Rise had the stamina for distance running, the team fell into two groups: the girls and Teddie in the rear, the guys and Naoto taking point. They'd made it as far as the old gas station and were heading toward the Furaibo bridge when Kanji noticed something curling through the air, on the other side of the river.

It was hard to tell against the night sky, but it looked like- "Hey, is that smoke?"

"You're right...but why would- -" Naoto gasped. "An accident?"

Souji had turned pale. "Quick, over the bridge!" he ordered. He broke into a sprint, Naoto and Yosuke following at a speed Kanji couldn't quite match. By the time he could see the two wrecked vehicles - an SUV resting on its side and a truck smashed into a brick wall - Souji was already kneeling beside his uncle at the edge of the road.

No wonder they'd crashed. The rain had only just eased off as the team had left the police station, and driving on the slippery roads would've been difficult enough even at normal speeds. Kanji glanced back at the river; Dojima had been damn lucky not to run off the bridge.

He was a mess as it was. He'd made it out of the SUV - crawled through smashed windscreen, it looked like - but blood kept streaming from his forehead. Souji had pressed his scarf against the wound with one hand and was gripping Dojima's with the other. Adachi, crouched on the other side, was trying to prevent his boss from sitting up.

Naoto stepped away. "I'll call an ambulance," she said, and pulled out her cell.

Yosuke turned to Adachi. "Did you see what happened? Or where Namatame went?"

"I got here after the crash," he answered, shaking his head. "I should radio for backup. We gotta find him!"

Like that'd be any help. The cops had been hopeless throughout the entire case. Wanting to make himself more useful, Kanji stalked over to Namatame's truck, lifted the fabric flap at the back and peered inside. Even in the dim light from the street lamps, he could still see the outline of a flat-screen television, almost as large as the one they'd been jumping in at Junes.

"Whoa." Yosuke had walked up beside the truck. "He really _was_ carrying a TV around."

Adachi shot to his feet. "Hey, keep away from there! We need to preserve the scene!"

"Then allow me," offered Naoto, level and smooth. "If it rains again while we wait, any evidence will be lost regardless."

Adachi opened his mouth, as if to protest - but stopped when Dojima aimed a weak smack at his shin and muttered something Kanji couldn't hear. Whatever it was, Adachi wasn't happy.

"Dojima-san says it's okay," he said, almost wincing. "...Go ahead, I guess."

Naoto responded with a quick nod. Using her arms for support, she pushed herself up onto the truck and climbed through the open flap. A faint glow lit up the interior seconds later; looking closely, it seemed to come from her wristwatch.

She stared at the television for a moment, before reaching out a hand. Her fingers slipped through the screen. "...Our theory was correct."

Kanji leaned forward and poked his head through the flap. Voices had started up behind him, loud and overlapping - the girls must've finally showed - but he kept his attention focused on the TV. "Y'don't think that asshole actually..."

"Jumped in? It's possible. He would have been desperate." Naoto turned toward the truck's windshield. "Hold on...I think there's something on the floor up front."

As she climbed through the gap between the seats, Yosuke cursed under his breath. "This is bad. If Namatame took Nanako-chan inside the TV..."

"But why would he do that?" Rise leaned around Kanji's left shoulder, trying to see inside the truck. "He has to know how dangerous it is, he's been throwing people in there!"

Kanji shrugged. "Probably didn't care. The guy's nuts."

Moments later, Naoto climbed back through the front seats, now holding a small spiral-bound notebook. "I found this by the passenger seat. A diary." She sat on the edge of the truck and began flipping through the book, stopping a few pages in. "'_I__ learned __the __existence __of __a __new__ world. __Thus,__ I __must __save __people_.'"

Kanji frowned. The new world had to be the TV, but... "Save? The hell's he mean by that?"

"I'm not sure..." Naoto answered, still flicking through the notebook - then drew a sharp breath. "This page...it's a list of the victims' home addresses! Mayumi Yamano, Saki Konishi...Yukiko Amagi, Kanji Tatsumi, Rise Kujikawa...even the victims who survived and were never released to the public are here."

"Wow." Radio still in hand, Adachi shook his head. "I guess that settles it."

Naoto looked up from the book, stared at him - but didn't say anything.

Yosuke did - angrily. "Dammit! He used the same trick on all everyone...pretending he was making a delivery, then throwing them in! Namatame's the killer!"

"The last date is today's," Naoto said, her concentration back on the diary. "'_I__ can't __believe __such__ a __small __child __appeared__ on __it. __I __must __save __this __child, __no __matter __what_.'" She closed the notebook and held it tight in her hands. "And if 'save' means taking them to this 'new world'..."

"...Then Namatame and Nanako are inside the television." Souji was now standing behind Rise, expression perfectly, carefully blank.

"We need to go rescue her!" Chie gripped the edge of the truck next to Naoto, as if to climb inside. "C'mon, let's use this TV and- -"

Darting forward, Teddie tugged at her track jacket. "Wait! We don't know where we'll enter through this one! What if we end up somewhere dangerous?"

So what? They could handle it. They'd beaten everything that world had thrown at them - why would it make a difference where they started out? "That don't matter!" Kanji told him. "We've gotta- -"

"Stop it, Kanji-kun!" The glare Rise shot him was more desperate than angry. "If we fail, who's going to save Nanako-chan?"

He opened his mouth, ready to object - until a hand landed on his shoulder. Fingers gripping tight, Souji looked him in the eye. "Not yet, Kanji. It doesn't seem like it's going to be foggy tomorrow. We go in then, same way as usual - and we find Nanako." He looked back at Dojima. "I promised."

Sirens were already sounding across the bridge. If they jumped in now, they might not all make it before the ambulance showed - and hell, maybe Souji was right. Kanji gulped, and faltered. "...Okay, Senpai."

* * *

**November 6th, 2011**

Yosuke leaned back in the plastic chair and stretched his legs out into the stark white corridor. "I am _so_ glad we don't have school tomorrow."

Kanji was staring out the window opposite Dojima's room, hands braced against the sill. "Which is why we shoulda gone in tonight," he muttered. The rain had started up again, running in crooked rivulets down the glass pane, blurring his view of the hospital courtyard.

"Dude, there's no way. I totally get how you feel, but-"

"No, you _don't_. If y'did, you'd wanna go in too."

Behind him, Yosuke let out a deep sigh. "Look, we can't. Like Souji said, Nanako-chan will be okay in the TV for-"

"How the hell would you know?" Kanji swung round, swiping his fist through empty air. "I know what it's like in there, _you_ never had to do it!"

Yosuke opened and closed his mouth, twice - but before he could answer, Yukiko leapt in. "I did. But we can't go in tonight, Kanji-kun. We're exhausted, we'll make mistakes." She walked closer, until she stood beside him at the sill. "Remember, we were all fine inside there as long as the fog didn't start over here."

Like he didn't know that. Tiredness had been gnawing at his bones since they left the station - but it was just wrong, going home and sleeping, leaving Nanako in there with that murdering bastard. "S'different. She's a little kid."

"...I know." Yukiko's gaze shifted to the window. She looked like she might start crying, and he had the immediate urge to apologize. "But please...just trust Souji-kun. We all have to."

Souji had almost gotten it wrong with Naoto. For a moment, Kanji had the strange, sickening impression that he actually _had,_ and didn't that mean it could happen all over- -

He swallowed hard. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right."

Yukiko gently squeezed his arm. When she walked back to the empty seat between Chie and Rise, he considered sitting down too - but the plastic chairs were the same type they had all over the damn building. Hard and uncomfortable, as if everything wasn't already awful enough; as if people weren't already here for bad reasons.

Fricking hospitals.

"I'm sorry, Kanji-chan."

He glanced sideways. Teddie was next to him, looking at the floor and playing with the collar of his still-damp shirt. "Huh?"

"I-I wanted to go get Nanako-chan too - but it wasn't _safe._" He lifted his head - and if Yukiko had seemed close to tears, he looked closer. "If we all jumped in somewhere different then maybe I couldn't get us out again, and- -"

Shit, this was stupid. Damn bear had been trying his best. Kanji sighed, straightened, and clapped a hand against Teddie's back. "S'alright. I get it."

Yosuke was hunched forward now, elbows resting on his knees. He nodded to the empty chair beside him. "It's not your fault, Ted. Sit down for a bit, okay?"

Teddie obliged, and the team fell back into silence. Even the girls weren't talking. Kanji fixed his gaze on the windowsill, listening to the nurses walking between rooms and the doors opening and closing in distant corridors. It seemed like hours before he finally heard one open right behind him, and turned to see Naoto step through.

Yosuke twisted in his seat. "Hey, is Dojima-san-"

"Souji-senpai is with him."

"Okay. Cool." The cord of Yosuke's headphones was tangled tight around his fingers. "Guess we'll wait."

Naoto responded with a slight nod. She walked away from the chairs, halting a short way down the corridor. Out the corner of his eye, Kanji watched her stare at the tiled floor, hands shoved deep in her pockets.

He'd worked up the guts to ask her to Aiya, even if he totally, one hundred percent hadn't intended it as a date (and even though Naoki had gatecrashed). And if he could manage that, he could talk to her now. Kanji ran a hand through his hair, took a deep breath, then ambled over to stand opposite her.

"You alright?" he asked in a low voice.

Naoto didn't answer the question. Looking at her, she didn't need to. "I didn't anticipate this. I wasted so much time."

They all had. Kanji wasn't sure they'd had any choice. "Did what we could."

"And it was insufficient. I let Souji-senpai down."

He frowned down at her, trying to gauge her expression - or lack of one. "C'mon, man. Start throwing blame around an' we all deserve it."

Her response was sharp and immediate. "No. Our situations are entirely different."

"Why?"

Naoto was quiet for a long moment. "Because you're all amateurs," she said at last. "This isn't your job."

_Amateurs__ who__ saved__ your __ass_, Kanji almost shot back, but held his tongue. Wouldn't help. Problem was, he didn't know what would. Naoto had already drawn away from him, pressing her back against the wall - and, lost for any other option, he did the same. They stood silent, on opposite sides of the corridor, and waited for Souji.


	28. Chapter 22

_A/N: Happy new year, guys. Hope you enjoy this belated installment._

_Story so far: The Midnight Channel returned and the culprit was discovered - but all too late to save Nanako._

_In this part: Tempers get frayed, Shadows get trashed, and Kanji gets Naoto wrong and right._

* * *

**November 6th, 2011**

"Still don't see what the big frickin' deal is," Kanji muttered.

A rescue mission involved getting tooled up, which involved new weaponry - which, in turn, involved Daidara. Or at least it would, if Hanamura would quit hovering outside the bookstore and haul his ass to the metal works shop next door. Kanji had spent the last five minutes watching him pretend to read a dog-eared copy of Witch Detective #13. It wasn't even a good issue.

Yosuke pulled a face. "Dude, the guy's creepy. Why d'you think I usually wait outside?" He frowned down at the manga in his hands. "Wish Souji had shown."

"What, y'want Senpai to hold your hand? Daidara's cool."

"He makes weapons out of shadow guts and hawks them to high-schoolers." Yosuke shivered. "_Creepy_."

Kanji's forehead creased with thought. Yosuke Hanamura, standing in the middle of the Inaba shopping district, willingly holding a Witch Detective manga. Something was up. "C'mon, man. What's your problem?"

"Nothing." Yosuke's reply was way too quick. "Hey, and here comes Naoto-kun to chew me out too."

Kanji glanced over his shoulder. Naoto, who must've finally gotten bored of waiting around outside Daidara's, was crossing the short distance between them with her hands clasped behind her back. She stopped next to him - or at least in the same general area as him, give or take a metre. Right now, he'd settle for that.

"Yosuke-senpai," she said, "I understand the fascination of the written word," - and here, she noticed the Witch Detective logo and blinked at it - "but we must conclude our business as quickly as possible."

Sighing, Yosuke put the manga back on the display table. "Yeah, I know. It's just - Souji ought to be here. He's _always_ here when we do this."

"And he entrusted you with that role. We are wasting time."

Yosuke had apparently woken up to a series of texts from Souji, which he'd then forwarded to the rest of the team. Together, they formed a set of instructions. Go to Daidara's, buy this, go to Shiroku, buy that.

Problem was, nobody had heard from Senpai since.

Yosuke shifted from leg to leg, gaze fixed on the gap between Naoto and Kanji - then shrugged and began walking. "Fine. Let's go."

The shopping district had taken a hit after Junes arrived in town, but Kanji doubted Daidara had noticed. The team had probably brought him more business over the past six months than he'd seen in the last decade. Looking through the shop's dusty windows, Kanji couldn't see a single customer inside - only Daidara himself, lugging a large sheet of grey metal through a side door and over to his workshop. "Looks like he's in."

With another loud sigh, Yosuke pushed open the door and stepped through.

The shop itself wasn't exactly small; Daidara had just crammed it with so much crap, it felt as large as a Junes elevator. Full suits of samurai armour, ornate guns and swords, welded metal sculptures, weird stuff Kanji couldn't hope to identify...he stocked it all. Selling it was probably a different matter. Whole place smelled like cigarette smoke, too. Kanji glimpsed a small trail of it way in the back, behind the latticed wall of Daidara's workshop. Judging by the racket as they entered, the old man had been busy sawing something, but the creak of the door still caught his attention.

He peered through the gaps in the wall, frowning, then broke into a broad smile. "Ah, Tatsumi and the Junes boy!" he boomed as he walked out to the counter - lit cigarette in one hand, hacksaw in the other. "And the detective lad, too. What marvelous materials have you brought me today?"

"_Junes__ boy_," Yosuke muttered, and turned to glare at a rack of claymores.

"Nothin'," Kanji said. "We just need new stuff."

"Hmm. No matter. Still working through the last batch." Daidara took a drag on his cigarette, then exhaled, puffing smoke into the air. "Most inspiration I've had in years. What do you need?"

"Lemme see..." Kanji whipped out his phone and brought up Souji's texts. "…Stronger boots for Chie-senpai, a sharper set of claws for Teddie…and a thicker shield for me, provided it ain't too heavy." Flipping the phone shut, he tipped his head toward Yosuke. "Plus a new pair of knives for Junes boy here. An' we need it all quick."

Yosuke muttered again, this time something unrepeatable. Daidara, meanwhile, paused for a long moment, scratching his chin. "…Let me see what magic I can work," he eventually said. "True art requires the luxury of time - but I have a few pieces near-finished." Leaving the hacksaw on the counter, he walked back behind the lattice and started poking through the wobbling stacks of material piled on the floor: the horns, crosses, lumber, and general junk the team had hauled back from the TV world.

...Man, the place was a mess. Kanji rocked on his heels, dimly wondering if he could persuade Daidara to let him drop by and tidy up. He'd occasionally had the same thought about Naoto and that damn closet in her apartment - the only place in the world more cluttered than this shop - and reached a very negative conclusion. Right now, the same could be said for most everything involving her.

He'd tried to talk with her again last night, after Souji had emerged from Dojima's room. Stupid idea. And he shouldn't have expected anything good, with both of them anxious and scared and awake for eighteen hours straight - but he'd tried anyway, stumbling over half-formed sentences until Naoto pretty much just walked away. She'd still been acting off this morning, too. Not angry, and not the way she'd been right before Nanako's kidnapping; something different. Kanji couldn't put a finger on it, just as he couldn't shake the feeling that she was disappointed, like the team hadn't lived up to their promise. As if they'd failed some test.

Screw it, they'd been trying their best. Maybe they were all too _amateurish_, he thought, a little bitterly.

...Or maybe he was just being a dick. He glanced sideways at Naoto as she watched Daidara through the lattice. The old guy had moved to the anvil and started hammering at something Kanji couldn't see.

"You met him before?" he asked her, over the clang of metal on metal.

Naoto nodded. "I visited this shop during my initial investigation of the shopping district." She paused. "He attempted to sell me a two-headed war axe."

"Word of warning - if you ever buy one, don't wave it around in Junes," Yosuke said, with a roll of his eyes. "But hey, speaking of which...you think Rise and Teddie have found anything yet?"

Kanji shrugged. "Ain't like they'll need extra information. We know Nanako."

"Yeah. We do." Yosuke ran a hand through his hair, trying to tuck the longer strands behind the cups of his headphones. "Soon as Old Creepy's finished, we'll head out. Chie and Yukiko should be done at Shiroku by then, and it won't take us long to find Souji."

"We will go directly to Junes." Naoto made it sound like an order.

Yosuke hesitated, mouth partly open - then turned aside and pulled out his phone. "...Let me try calling him again first."

Without Souji, they couldn't do a damn thing; Kanji had proved that back at the Secret Base. But he'd already dialed Senpai's number three times today without an answer, and he had the feeling Yosuke had tried a whole lot more.

...Naoto was probably right. Wasn't like Souji would skip out. No point fussing.

Kanji glanced back. Naoto had half-turned away too, one hand on her hip, fingers splayed in rigid lines. "A complete waste of time," she muttered.

* * *

During his first willing trip inside the television, Kanji had outright refused to go back to the bathhouse. The rest of the team had readily agreed with him, so Souji had smiled, nodded, and taken them to Yukiko's section instead. Her Shadow was a Princess - which Kanji had mentally translated as 'has an awesome fairytale castle'. After seeing the dark stone towers stretching into the red and black sky and the twisted statues surrounding the courtyard, he'd decided the bathhouse had been the better deal. Scary damn place.

Nanako's castle? Completely different.

After Rise and Himiko led them through the fog, the light pouring through the castle's open drawbridge left him blinking. No red and black here, either; the sky was a solid pale blue, save for the faint rainbow arching between the stone walls. On the other side stood a massive tree. Kanji looked up at the gleaming tiled squares surrounding its trunk, stacking up as far as he could see.

He'd seen first-hand the kind of crap this world made, the junk it yanked out of people. He hadn't imagined any of it could be beautiful.

"This place..." Rise began, then trailed off. "...It's _amazing_. Like a storybook vision of heaven."

When he spoke, Yosuke's voice was unusually quiet. "Yeah...exactly. Deep down, Nanako-chan must really miss her."

"I'm sure she does," Yukiko said, with a sudden, questioning glance at Kanji. "She's only a child."

Him and Yukiko had still been sort-of-friends when his old man had died. After that, everything had changed, but Kanji had never forgotten how it'd felt in the months and years after his dad was gone. Never would. Like a heavy rock pressing down on your chest - except when you finally managed to get it lifted, there was nothing underneath but empty space.

What if it was the same for Nanako?

He took a deep breath and forced his voice steady. "Yeah, but she's got us. And we're gonna do everything we can to rescue her, right?"

"Right on." Yosuke's hand landed against his back. "Forget Namatame. We'll get that son-of-a-bitch later."

Souji gave a grim nod and began walking toward the castle's bright-white entrance. "We're not stopping till we find Nanako-chan."

The rest of the team fell in step behind him. Chie glanced around her as they went - first at the tree, then at the glowing gate, then at the pale pink flowers creeping over the castle walls. "It's so pretty...I wonder what it's like inside?"

Yukiko shook her head. "I'm not sure. Nanako-chan's young, but maybe there are still Shadows in- - Rise-chan? Is something wrong?"

Rise had stopped a few meters behind them. She was looking up at the tree again - and shrinking away. "Something feels...different. Wrong," she managed, eyes wide and jaw tensed. "Nanako-chan - she isn't alone. Himiko can hear someone else."

"Namatame." Naoto's gaze was fixed firmly on the castle entrance. "Remember, he did not run from the accident. He leapt."

"And into the same television - so they would've wound up in the same place," Rise said, shivering. "This part of the TV world...they _both_ built it."

Souji let out a soft curse, pinching the bridge of his noise, then glanced at the fog behind them, almost like he wanted to head back. Kanji was ready to voice an objection, and loudly - but a moment later, Senpai was striding toward the gateway light. "Let's go. We have to hurry."

* * *

Shit, they were outmatched.

Should've practiced more, Kanji thought as he threw himself to the floor in a sideways half-roll, should've come in here instead of screwing around with hot springs and festivals and- -

The lance thrust down to his left, spearing through the floor and scattering fragments of tile. Good. Give him a couple of seconds while the Knight yanked it back out. As he sprang to his feet he saw Sukuna-Hikona rocket past him, saber outstretched, and slice through the Cyclops further down the pathway.

He glanced back at Naoto - now firing her pistol at the Knight, why the hell hadn't she learned yet - and tried to prioritize. Three shadows. All still standing. Which one needed beating down first?

...Cyclops was nothing special. He'd tackled them before. Kanji turned back to the Knight, Take-Mikazuchi's card already in his hand.

It was the wrong choice.

Rise's voice rang inside his head. _"Guys!__ The Cyclops has__ Ziodyne,__ brace__ your-"_

Didn't see the lightning bolt. Didn't feel it, beyond a slight tingle over his skin. But he did hear the raw crackle of electricity, a split-second before Yosuke's strangled yell.

Kanji blinked as the white glare faded, trying to readjust, but he'd already crushed his card on reflex. Blurred and washed-out, Take-Mikazuchi smashed one heavy fist into the Cyclops, shattering its outer ring and knocking it to the floor.

Souji was still on his feet, a red star-shaped Persona floating behind him. Naoto, shuddering, was down on one knee, and Yosuke was curled up on the floor. He'd need healing, which right now, meant he needed Souji - which meant Kanji would have to hold off the Shadows.

_"Yosuke-senpai's down! And watch out for the Phantom- -"_

He hurled himself forward, shield above his head, and slammed it down on the prone Cyclops. The impact shook his teeth, but the Shadow vanished in a sputtering cloud of black smoke.

One down. That left the Knight. Naoto was probably still bouncing fricking bullets off it. Mind racing through Take-Mikazuchi's attacks, Kanji pulled out his card again - then noticed the three purple lights swirling in front of him.

...Mudoon?

The lights had him frozen in place. No way to dodge. He stiffened, jaw clenched tight, telling himself it wouldn't hit, it never did -

- and then the lights vanished.

Free to move again, he swung around just in time to see the Phantom Lord behind him disintegrate in a column of bright golden light. The light almost immediately died away, leaving a cloud of tiny sparks, like fireflies - and Sukuna-Hikona whirling through them in what looked like a victory barrel roll. The Persona kept going, speeding down the pathway and slashing its saber in a wide arc through the Knight's torso.

Naoto glanced over her shoulder, catching Kanji's eye for barely a moment, then turned her attention back to the Shadow.

_"Kanji-kun, what are you waiting for? That thing's weak to electricity, hurry up and take it down!"_

The rebuke pissed him off - but ultimately, Rise needn't have bothered.

"Seiryu!"

The roaring, writhing dragon - why did Senpai have so many freaky Personas, couldn't he just stick with that little Jack Frost guy? - materialized on the other side of the Knight, its long tail twisting above Souji's head.

Kanji stood, card still in hand, too stunned to do anything but watch.

An instant later, it was over. The Knight caved under Seiryu's Ziodyne, and a swift Megidola from Sukuna-Hikona finished it off. At the back of his mind, Take-Mikazuchi rumbled with wordless approval (mixed with the grudging admission that even midget Personas with crappy magic weren't _completely _worthless).

Take-Mikazuchi, Kanji reflected, could be a real jerk. He wasn't in the habit of talking to his Persona, though. No point in chatting with something that didn't know any words. He sighed, mentally shoved the Persona aside, and walked over to the others.

Souji's healing had worked quickly; Yosuke was already back on his feet and dusting off his jacket, though still shivering with the movement. "Nice work, guys. Sorry I went down so easy."

"Not your fault," Souji said - flatly, like he hadn't really been listening.

Kanji had been about as much use as Yosuke. Might've gone down badly, if not for Naoto. Slipping his card back in his pocket, he turned to face her. "H-hey, Naoto. Thanks."

She nodded, but didn't look at him. Without a word, she pulled her gun from its holster and began rifling through her pockets for bullets.

What was _with_ her today?

"Naoto bailed us out again?" Yosuke shook his head. "Man, when did light and dark become useful?" He turned to Naoto and dropped into an exaggerated bow. "Naoto-kun, I officially take back most of my comments about your totally useless Persona."

It should've gotten a rise. A flat stare, a snapped retort, whatever. Instead, Naoto kept her attention on her gun as she emptied and reloaded the chamber.

_"I__ know, __it's __weird!__" _said Rise. "_A __ton__ of __the __Shadows__ here __are __weak __to __Hama __and __Mudo.__ Guess__ we're __lucky __to __have__ you__ along, __Naoto-kun."_

Again, no response. Naoto still didn't look up, and Souji had gone quiet too.

Twirling one of his blades, Yosuke shot an awkward glance at Kanji, then coughed. "Uh, guys…maybe we should go back and recharge. Jiraya could...use a boost, maybe?"

Poor guy was floundering. Kanji forced a grin. "Let that damn fox rip us off, right?"

"Yeah! Exactly."

"A pointless endeavour." Naoto's voice cut the air like a knife. "It would not effectuate Nanako-chan's rescue."

Yosuke flinched. "Kinda harsh there, Naoto."

'Harsh' wasn't strong enough. Kanji hadn't thought it possible to cram so much condescension into two sentences. And maybe this was what she really thought of them - a group of idiots, stumbling around with their made-up investigation, trying to fill a role she'd spent her whole life learning. She'd told them more or less the same thing back in the summer, right after they'd captured Kubo.

But five months later, he'd expected better. Naoto could be difficult, could be blunt, could be an outright jerk, but he'd never before gotten the feeling it was on purpose. Jaw tight, he glanced at Souji on instinct, half expecting him to call her out. Instead, Senpai must've taken the look for a question. He shook his head and hefted his sword. "One more floor."

* * *

**November 10th, 2011**

Kanji ran a hand along his jaw, fingers trailing over a long, still-blue bruise. Gigas could hit damn hard. It'd hurt so bad, he'd swear the bone had actually broken; at least Teddie had been able to fix that.

The bruises had stayed, though. Both Yukiko and Ted had been too worn down, the first from running around the castle and the second from patching everyone up when they stumbled back. Maybe the shadows in Heaven were too strong, or maybe Personas just got tired. Either way, the healing wasn't working as well as it should. He was used to a few dull aches after a TV run - but real injuries were harder to brush off.

Harder to explain, too. At breakfast this morning, Ma had glanced him up and down then given him this _look_; same one she'd given him after he'd trashed that biker gang. Kanji couldn't blame her.

"Kanji-kun?"

He glanced up. "Hey, Yukiko-senpai."

He'd decided to wait outside the school gate after the day's final class, thinking he'd catch one of the others so they could head to Junes together. Yukiko fit the bill - but for some reason, Kanji found himself wanting to stay put.

"Are you alright?" Yukiko asked, eyebrows angled in concern. "Yesterday afternoon...the Shadows gave you a really hard time."

"Same for all of us." He shrugged then leaned back against the gate's right pillar. The rough brick scratched against the back of his head. "Should be askin' you the same question."

She managed a weak smile. "Oh, I'm fine. Just a little tired."

_Bullshit_, Kanji thought. Souji had kept Yukiko as their main healer in almost every run through the castle. It'd reached the point where Teddie - stuck sitting with Kanji and Yosuke - had started asking if Sensei didn't like him anymore. Kanji would never admit it, but he was starting to wonder the same thing. He hadn't been on the main squad since their initial attempt at Nanako's Heaven, and yesterday had been his only chance to prove himself. He'd blown it - then been dumped back at the castle entrance to be healed up by Teddie, while Souji went back to his damn dream team.

Efficiency, Senpai had called it. Chie for raw strength, Yukiko for healing, Naoto for light and dark, and him for everything else. The best way to reach Nanako quickly. Kanji had tried to take him at his word. Yosuke, meanwhile, had rolled his eyes and muttered something about a harem.

Grimacing, Kanji looked at Yukiko and shook his head. "Souji-senpai can't keep this up. It's wearing you and Ted out." He tilted his neck and pointed to the bruises on his jaw. "That's why I still got these."

Both hands tightly gripping the handle of her schoolbag, Yukiko turned away. It wasn't fast enough to hide her sudden flash of guilt. "I'm sorry, Kanji-kun. I really did try."

"Shit, I didn't- -" Great. Upset your friend then curse at her. He paused, and let out a breath. "I didn't mean it like that. Don't care 'bout a couple of bruises. Just no good if you get burned out, y'know?"

"It's difficult." Yukiko had started picking at loose red threads on the bottom hem of her blouse; Kanji resisted the urge to scold her. "Chie's careful, as much as she can be - but Souji, he's...being reckless. It isn't like him. And Naoto-kun's behaving the same way."

"Naoto?" Kanji cut in, frowning.

Souji taking risks was weird enough, but Naoto? Made no sense. She was into logic, reason, all the crap that both filled Kanji with admiration and drove him up the wall.

...Except, of course, for the tiny part where she'd baited the killer and gotten herself thrown in the TV - and her behavior over the past few days was far too similar to right before she'd done it.

Yukiko apparently hadn't heard him. She continued, voice shot through with frustration. "It's just- -I need to keep everyone safe but Amaterasu can only do so much, and when they're _deliberately_- -" She cut the sentence off with an apologetic shrug. "I-I'm sorry, Kanji-kun, you don't need to hear this."

"You got a right to vent." Just like he had the right to know what was going on. Souji was desperate to get to Nanako, that made sense. But if he exhausted them all trying to get there, mistakes would happen. Like yesterday. They hadn't been ready for the next floor, Rise had said so six times over. But where Souji went, the team went too - and, in Kanji's case, promptly got their ass handed to them on a Gigas-shaped platter.

"You do, too. I'm sorry he's been leaving you behind."

Truth was, Kanji and Yosuke just weren't as useful, not right now. If Souji wanted a heavy hitter, he had Chie. If he needed a healer, there was Yukiko - or, at a push, Teddie - and Naoto was the only other team member who knew light and dark. No room for anyone else. Kanji got it, kind of - no time for training, just a blitz to the top of the castle - but the understanding didn't help.

He shook his head, gaze fixed on the ground. Wasn't right, second-guessing Souji, especially not now. "Senpai's choice. He's the boss. And it ain't just me anyway."

"No, it isn't - and it's stupid," Yukiko said, and the force it in surprised him. "You, Teddie, Yosuke, you all need the opportunity to train too, or we won't be ready."

Wasn't much Kanji could say to that. He didn't know about Naoto, since she was still new to the team, but there was no question he was falling behind Chie and Yukiko. Yosuke - who'd been benched for over half the Secret Base - was even worse off.

"I was dreaming last night." Yukiko's voice was soft, with a slight shake Kanji almost didn't catch. "We were trying to fight Namatame, but it - it wasn't working, e-everyone was..."

She trailed off. He lifted his head, not sure what he was supposed to say - or if there was a right answer at all - then realized why she'd stopped.

Kou and Daisuke were standing a few meters away. Must've just walked out the gate. Between them was a blonde girl, the one who'd helped Teddie get dolled up for the pageant. Ai, Ted had called her, or Ayu, something like that. For some reason, the three of them kept glancing over at Kanji and Yukiko. He moved forward from the pillar, ready to ask what the hell they were staring at, when Kou suddenly turned and walked toward him, Daisuke and Ai quickly following.

Kou didn't say anything at first. Just stood there at an awkward angle, hands shoved in his trouser pockets. Kanji watched his thumbs worry the fabric inside.

"Afternoon, Amagi-san," he finally said, then nodded to Kanji. "Yo, Tatsumi."

Kanji returned the nod. "S'up."

"We, uh, heard about what happened with Souji's cousin. The little girl."

With years of practice under her belt, Yukiko instantly switched to manager mode. "Yes, the kidnapping. It's awful."

"Couldn't find him today. Might've stayed home," Daisuke said, with a shrug that tried too hard to be casual. His gaze, initially fixed on Kanji, shifted to Yukiko. "But you - you and him hang out. If you think he needs anything, whatever it is, let us know, alright?"

"I will. That's very kind of you."

Hands on her hips, Ai lifted her chin. "Souji's a good guy. The cops are gonna find his cousin soon."

Yukiko didn't hesitate. "Of course they will."

"Right, so make sure you tell him that." Ai paused, her expression softening. "And that we're thinking about him."

"He'll be glad to hear it."

"Yeah." Kou shuffled in place. "Guess we'll get going now. Thanks, Amagi-san. Later, Tatsumi."

As she watched the trio leave - Ai still in the middle, Kou and Daisuke either side - Yukiko raised an eyebrow. "Well, that was surprising."

Kanji frowned down at her. "Why? They're gonna care, they're Souji-senpai's friends." Three among many; Souji seemed to know everyone.

"Maybe I should rephrase that," she said, delicately. "_Ebihara_ was surprising."

"The blonde? Y'don't like her?"

Yukiko winced. "Chie...doesn't have many good things to say about her. At all. Something about hair-pulling and basketball practice last spring. She spends a lot of time with Souji, too," she added, a little darkly - but quickly followed it with, "though she was very pleasant just now."

Kanji shrugged. Ebihara seemed like exactly the kind of girl that used to terrify him, and maybe still did - but who was he to judge? "First impressions ain't always right."

Yukiko glanced up at him, mouth curved in an odd sort of smile. "No, they aren't." She paused, looking thoughtful. "I've seen her and Teddie talking at Junes twice now, and he seems to think the world of her."

Kanji snorted. "'Course he does. She's a chick."

At that, Yukiko giggled. Wasn't even close to one of her laughing fits, but that was probably for the best - and with how anxious she'd seemed, he was happy to just make her smile. Shame it faded so quickly. She let out a quiet sigh, her expression solemn again. "You know, Ichijo and the others aren't the only ones who've asked me about Souji and Nanako-chan - and everyone keeps saying the same thing. 'The police will find her'." Yukiko shook her head. "I wish we could tell them the truth."

Like anyone would believe them. The cops hadn't listened to Naoto's warnings about Kubo. Try telling them about Shadows and Personas and jumping in televisions, and even Souji wouldn't be able to make it convincing.

Kanji pushed away from the pillar and tipped his head toward the footpath. "C'mon, Yukiko-senpai. We're gonna be late."

* * *

Sat cross-legged on the floor of the T.V. world's main lot, Kanji let out a deep sigh. Partly because watching Teddie brush his suit was really making him want to pet it (damn _fox_ let him, why the hell was the bear so fussy), and partly because he had hated having nothing better to do in the first place.

Behind him stood Rise, Himiko at her back as she guided Souji and the team through the twisting middle levels of Heaven's castle. It left her too busy to talk. Yosuke was pacing around the lot - as usual - but in that case, Kanji had already exhausted his limited range of conversation topics.

Maybe Senpai would head back soon. Swap out Chie, let Kanji have another shot. Might even leave Yukiko behind, if he felt up to playing main healer. Definitely wouldn't bench Naoto, though. He'd tried yesterday, and been met with steadfast refusal. Naoto hadn't raised her voice, hadn't even changed her expression, but the rigid set of her shoulders had said enough. After the Phantom Lord incident - and the stuff he'd heard from Rise about entire groups of Shadows going down under Hama and Mudoon - Kanji wasn't worried about her anymore, or at least he was trying not to be. But all the fancy powers in the world didn't stop a person getting tired. Souji ought to know that - and he should've pulled rank.

Kanji didn't like thinking about the reasons he hadn't.

Something nudged him in the side. He looked up to see Yosuke standing beside him, one foot close to his ribs. "Keep frowning and your face'll stick like that."

"Go get bent. Y'sound like my mother."

"Don't blame you, though. This whole thing is pissing me off."

"Nothin' we can do."

"Maybe not. I dunno. I tried to get Souji to go to Souzai Daigaku last night, thought maybe I could talk him into swapping us back in." Yosuke sat down on the floor opposite and rested his elbows on his knees. "He stayed at the food court talking with Naoto instead."

"Figures. They're hanging out everywhere else," Kanji muttered - and it wasn't even true, they weren't together _all_ the time, but it felt damn close. They'd been huddled together talking whenever the team left Junes.

"Huh?"

"Naoto an' Souji-senpai. Getting together after we leave."

"Talking tactics, I guess," Yosuke said with a shrug. "Anyway, he hangs out with all of us."

"This ain't the same thing. Senpai's not just- - not with her." Kanji leaned back on his hands and didn't bother to hide his scowl. "Not just tactics."

At that, Yosuke gave him a very strange look. A _'what the hell else would Naoto ever talk about'_ kind of look.

Moments later, his eyebrows arched so high they risked flying off his face. "Whoa, whoa! You mean - you think Naoto and Souji- -"

"Pipe down!" Kanji hissed, glancing at Teddie - who was currently polishing his gold buttons and probably paying no attention whatsoever, but why risk it?

"Kanji, you're insane." Yosuke raised a palm. "I know, I know - Souji's got so many girls clinging to his ankles, he wades through them just to get to school - but Naoto?" He grimaced, as if the concept itself was offensive. "_Not_ one of them."

Kanji frowned. Wasn't _that_ weird an idea. Naoto was awesome - except maybe when she was being an Olympic-level jackass, and even that was negotiable. Souji was totally clued-in on everything, so why wouldn't he think that too?

"You sure 'bout that?" he asked Yosuke, brow furrowed.

"Trust me, I know Souji," Yosuke said, firm and confident. "And our resident pint-size detective wouldn't know a crush if it whacked her in the head."

Damn right she didn't. Maybe Yosuke was right. Didn't bode well for Kanji, but at least it put Souji out the picture too. No way did Kanji ever want to fight with his Senpai, no matter what the reason - and not when he'd be losing right from the start.

* * *

By the time they walked through the doors of the Junes lobby and into the street, night had already fallen. According to Kanji's cellphone, it was almost half-nine; they'd barely made it out before closing. If Chie hadn't stood up to Souji, they'd have been stuck in the store past midnight.

Rise had sensed something bad on the seventh level up, a powerful Shadow that even Souji had thought twice about approaching. He'd brought the team back to the main lot first, asked Yosuke for money to pay the fox - and watched a lightning-fast Chie snatch the notes out of his hand. She'd been livid. Told him they needed to rest, no way could they keep up this pace., and basically said everything Kanji had been thinking save the whole forever-benched pity parade. Yukiko had quickly turned just as insistent, if a little quieter about it.

Kanji's silence had taken a superhuman level of effort, but the alternative, and the accompanying risk that he'd have said a lot more than he'd intended, would've been far worse. But standing outside the main doors of Junes, looking over at the team - taking in Chie's grazed shins, Yukiko's slumped shoulders, the jagged and slightly bloodied tear in Souji's school shirt - he wished he'd spoken up first.

Yosuke leaned against the lobby's glass wall, shivering and rubbing his shoulders. "Man, I swear it wasn't this cold last November."

"You're such a wimp, Hanamura," Chie said as she poked him in the arm - then noticed Yukiko shiver too. "...But maybe we should get home quick all the same."

"No problem with that. Ted and I'll go with you, Souji."

"...Sure."

"I'm going with Chie," Yukiko said, shrugging on her friend's green track jacket. Kanji felt like an ass for not offering his leather one.

"Yeah, you can stay at my place," Chie said. "My parents won't mind and Ichigo'll love to see you."

Yosuke scrunched up his nose. "Translation - that dumb dog can't wait to get slobber all over you."

"Ichigo _is_ pretty dumb." Chie tilted her head with a mock-thoughtful expression. "Still smarter than you, though."

"Good night, everyone," Yukiko cut in before Yosuke could respond, and quickly slipped her arm through Chie's. "See you tomorrow."

Chie nodded casually, already turning to leave. "Yeah. Bye, guys." Kanji couldn't help noticing she didn't look at Souji.

He also noticed Souji didn't seem to care. Senpai had been looking at whoever spoke, following the conversation with his eyes, but his gaze had been too distant. Like he'd been pretending to listen and hoping it would stick. He hadn't even been talking to Naoto.

"Okay, I'm seriously about to freeze. Let's get - -" Yosuke stopped and leaned around Kanji's shoulder. "Hey, Naoto-kun!"

Kanji turned, wondering why Yosuke had bothered to raise his voice, then realized Naoto had already made it four streetlamps down the road. Exhausted as he felt, he was still surprised he hadn't seen her leave - hell, he usually caught everything she did, whether he wanted to or not - and even more so that she stopped to look back.

Yosuke shot him a pointed glance and started walking toward her. After a moment's hesitation, Kanji followed.

Naoto raised her head, the brim of her cap casting slight shadows across her face. "Is something wrong?"

"Dude, don't rush off. Kanji'll walk you and Rise home." Yosuke elbowed him in the ribs. It didn't hurt. "Right, big guy?"

"I do not require 'walking home'," she said, before Yosuke had even finished speaking.

"Walking _with_," Kanji corrected. "And none of us are going back alone. You're just being stubborn."

Naoto responded with a dull glare. He glared back.

"Wow, look at the time!" Yosuke said, without looking at his watch. "Better get going with Souji, later!" Busy glowering, Kanji didn't register his hasty exit.

Naoto could've just said no. Instead she was making a big deal out of nothing and frustrating him more in the process. She'd looked away by now, eyes fixed on the bright neon 'Junes' sign above the store doors, and as she folded her arms tightly across her chest he noticed a long tear in the right sleeve of her jacket. Must've happened inside the television, same as Souji's shirt. His first impulse was to ask if she wanted him to fix it.

"We should head out too," he said instead.

"That would be pointless. I am in possession of a firearm." She still refused to look at him. "However, Rise-chan will require an escort. I trust you will accompany her to the shopping district."

And that was fine, Kanji told himself, he'd let Naoto do whatever the hell she wanted - because in the end she always would, because this had been Hanamura's dumb idea anyway, and above all else, because he was too tired to care.

He'd always been good at telling himself stuff. Never did as well believing it.

"Stop talkin' like that," he muttered.

Naoto's gaze finally snapped back to meet his, her eyes instantly narrowing. "What?"

"You know. Why're you being like this?"

"I have no idea what you mean." Her voice was perfectly, irritatingly level.

"Don't act dumb, alright? You've been- -" _Completely different, and I don't get why._

She'd only met Nanako a couple of weeks ago. Chie and the other senpai had known the kid for months, had been friends with Souji since his first day at Yasogami. Their tempers were clearly frazzled, but they weren't shoving each other away.

They also weren't Naoto. And Kanji had done the same thing for years; he knew better than anyone how hard it was to stop.

He grit his teeth. "Things are bad right now. Last thing everyone needs is you playing the tough guy."

Naoto's fingers tensed against the fabric of her sleeve, so briefly he almost didn't catch it. She unfolded her arms a moment later, one hand moving back to her hip. "I am not playing at anything," she said, cool and smooth. "This is no time for baseless accusations. Goodnight." She turned before he could respond and stalked away through the pools of lamplight.

It said something, Kanji would later realize, that he never considered following her.

* * *

Inaba's roads were virtually deserted at night. No cars, just the wind and the rustling of the trees. It would've been eerie, if Kanji hadn't recently been heading home this late every night - and if he hadn't been with Rise, who'd started jabbering the moment they left Junes. Mostly gossip from school, about people he either didn't know or didn't care about. He'd been too distracted to listen anyway, too caught up in what had happened to Nanako, what was happening with Naoto, and what might happen to the team if Souji kept on pushing.

Maybe Rise was too. Kanji usually got a scolding whenever she caught him not paying attention, but right now, she didn't seem to care. They'd made it as far as the train station when the Kujikawa verbal express finally ground to a halt. "...Anyway, that's why I think Higashi-chan keeps hanging around outside the library. Makes sense, doesn't it?"

"Uh. Yeah."

Rise hummed, satisfied. "Right. And you're sweet for walking me back, Kanji-kun." She latched both of her arms firmly around his left one. "My big, strong bodyguard!"

Kanji sighed and kept walking, though at a slightly slower pace. "Guess so. Was Naoto's idea."

"Ooh, a bodyguard _and_ a detective looking out for me. I couldn't be safer. If Risette ever does another tour, you're both coming with, okay?"

"Don't forget Souji-senpai. He'll be your new agent or something."

Suddenly quiet, Rise loosened her grip and pulled slightly away. Kanji angled his head, trying to get a better look at her face. "Hey, whassup?"

"He's not doing well, Kanji-kun. I can't figure out how to help." She let out a long, slow breath, one hand fussing with the collar of her puffy winter coat. "And even if I could, he'd never take me seriously."

"C'mon. Senpai don't brush anyone off, you know that."

At that, Rise lifted her head - and Kanji shrank a little at the weary, doubting look in her eyes. "He's going through a lot right now," she said quietly.

The words were true enough. The problem was how she'd said them. For some reason, Kanji thought back to what Rise had done at the pageant - not just the pranks she'd pulled on him, Naoto and Yosuke, but earlier, when she'd been stuck trying to dress him up as that Mary chick. When he wasn't the one she should've been helping.

Remembering that, the pranks made a little more sense.

"Maybe you could just try talkin' with him," he tried. "Properly, I mean. During lunch or something."

"He hasn't been around then." She paused. "I did see him yesterday, by the shoe lockers, but Yukiko-senpai was with him."

Which wasn't surprising. Kanji wondered, briefly, whether he should keep well out of this.

...Screw it. Rise had tried to help him, hadn't she? Done her best to bring him and Naoto closer, even if it'd been more a full body shove than a gentle push. "Follow him when he leaves class. Then you'll know where he goes." Best solution Kanji had found, and it'd worked with Naoto. For a bit, anyway.

"True, but I'd prefer to stay out of crazy stalker territory," Rise said - which was totally her opinion, he decided, and no way did it apply to him. She shook her head with a humorless chuckle. "Like I said, Kanji-kun, you're sweet - but I can't believe _you're_ trying to give me advice on my love-life!"

Frankly, neither could he. Even Teddie seemed to have a better handle on this stuff, or at least hadn't pulled the stoic admirer crap for half a year.

But Rise had been into Souji from the start too. Maybe even first sight. If she gave up now, then why was Kanji even- -

He frowned. "...Do you?"

The question surprised them both. Rise blinked up at him. "Do I what?"

"Y'know." Kanji hesitated. "Love him."

"I-I didn't say that." She swung away and burrowed deeper into her coat. "Why are you asking?"

Kanji didn't have an answer. It'd just seemed like something he needed to ask, something that'd maybe make Rise try a little harder - and that might make him feel less alone. He shrugged, staring at the road ahead. "Dunno. Sorry."

* * *

**November 14th, 2011**

"I don't _get_ this," Yosuke said, voice low and tight, as he hung up his Junes apron with his fists clenched around the fabric. Kanji waited for him to ball it up and hurl it at the nearest customer. "He's been dragging us up through the castle every day for a week, and today he blows us off to go play basketball?"

Faced with Souji's astonishingly screwed-up priorities, there was no real answer. Kanji grimaced and told himself there was a reason Senpai hadn't shown, there always was - just like there was a reason he hadn't bothered to let the rest of the team know before they'd all rolled up at Junes.

One text message. Not much to ask. Would've saved them the trip to the food court. Yosuke had been here already, serving up overpriced drinks and overcooked steak to the few customers still willing to sit outside in November, and he'd been the one Souji had finally texted explaining his urgent need to dribble basketballs. After that, the others had quickly dispersed, some more happily than others. Chie had seemed relieved; she'd even been joking with Yukiko as they'd left. Yukiko had replied with a tight sort of smile that hadn't looked much like one at all. Naoto had looked blank.

Kanji, pissed-off and feeling guilty for it, hadn't yet bothered to leave. He'd stayed at the table instead, fiddled around with his phone, seen a suited-up Teddie entertain a small swarm of kids - and now, he was watching Yosuke close down the snack stand for the evening.

As he locked the door of the drinks cabinet, Yosuke kept ranting. "And you know what? He said it'd help. Like we'll all be slam dunking shadows on our next trip."

Kanji shrugged. "Souji-senpai's probably stressed."

_"Souji-senpai's_ probably an asshole."

"You don't mean that."

"He's done crap like this before. Like when we went after Naoto, remember?" Yosuke shook his head. "But this is Nanako. We can't let her or her dad down, Souji _knows_ that."

Kanji remembered the mess surrounding Naoto's rescue only too well. It'd stirred up the worst of his bad traits. Recklessness, impatience, and most of all white-hot fury - most of it directed at Naoto herself, but some of it aimed squarely at Souji. It'd been fine in the end, though, because they'd gotten her out - even if it had taken way longer than he'd wanted. Even if, two months on, he still felt angry at Senpai without understanding why.

"We got Naoto. We'll get Nanako too," he said, and tried to convince himself it was for Yosuke's benefit.

Yosuke walked out from the stand, arms folded, and leaned back against the counter. "Yeah." A long pause - and he looked Kanji straight in the eyes. "If we go in again. Like before."

Maybe he was just way too tired, not paying enough attention, whatever - but it took Kanji a few seconds to realize what 'before' meant.

He shot up from his seat. "No frigging way," he snapped, and walked back to the store entrance in a few long strides.

Somehow, Yosuke got there first. He slipped in front of Kanji and tried to block the store's sliding doors, apparently forgetting there were four of them. "No, hear me out. We'll go in there and get Nanako - you, me, the others. Screw Souji."

Going inside the television without Souji had been one of Kanji's stupidest ideas on record. Didn't matter how angry he'd been. Almost got them all killed - something Yosuke knew full well, so why was he even suggesting it? "_No._ Didn't work last time. Won't work now."

Yosuke lurched forward, shoulders squared. "Don't give me that! I went in there with you and Rise, got my ass kicked and got bitched out by Souji for a whole week, all because you had a crush on some _guy_ crazy enough to deliberately get thrown in there - and the one time I want help, you chicken out?" His lips curled into a sneer. "Some friend you are."

Until recently, Kanji hadn't known it was possible to happily have a guy's back in any battle and simultaneously want to punch his lights out. Whatever him and Yosuke had going, friendship wasn't the word.

But hell, if it was good enough for Hanamura, he could roll with it. "Yeah. A friend, you asshat. That's why I'm tellin' you not to pull this shit."

"You did," Yosuke spat.

"And I'm an idiot." Kanji grabbed him by the shoulder and tugged him through the sliding doors. "C'mon, we're walking."

* * *

"He's probably not even home yet."

"So you'll wait for him."

"Should I have dinner ready too?" Yosuke snapped back, then winced. "Damn, Kanji, you're making me sound like his wife."

Kanji snickered. "Don't need my help with _that_."

"Oh, bite me."

They walked on in silence, past the empty lots and dilapidated warehouses that were too common in this part of town. When Junes had first rolled in two years back, they'd made a big noise about 'urban renewal' and 'economic encouragement'. Hadn't panned out yet. The residential area across the river was pretty nice, though - and in the end, the people living there were what Junes really cared about.

...Wasn't really fair. Junes had brought some good stuff too - and like Ma had said, if it wasn't them, it'd only have been another chain. Kanji suspected a lot of the people bitching about Junes' bad effect on Inaba also shopped there; at least, when they weren't busy treating Hanamura like he ran the damn place. Yosuke was an ass for a dozen different reasons. Junes wasn't one of them. Glancing sideways at him, Kanji wondered if the guy regretted moving here. He wouldn't have a Persona and wouldn't have met Souji - but he also wouldn't be heading over to his best friend's house right to have it out with him.

When it came to arguments, Kanji's philosophy could be distilled into a single principle: direct confrontation. Ask the person what they were thinking and why - and, in a recent addendum, try not to yell while doing it. Hadn't quite worked with Naoto yet - but Souji-senpai, he'd be different. And even if he wasn't, tackling him head-on was still the best option they had - because whatever Yosuke wound up saying, no matter how harsh, would beat jumping in the television alone.

They were halfway across the bridge when Yosuke spoke. "Hold up, Tatsumi."

Kanji glanced over his shoulder. Yosuke had stopped at the crest of the bridge and turned to face the water. "...If you jump in, I ain't hauling you out."

"I'm not miserable enough to fling myself in a river! I just wanna stop for a while."

"Why?"

Yosuke's shoulders shifted in a stiff half-shrug. "I'm feeling kinda lame as is." He rolled his eyes. "Waiting around on Souji's doorstep would destroy the few shreds of coolness I've got left."

He was dragging his feet, but who knew how long Souji wanted to screw around polishing balls or whatever the hell he did at club practice? Kanji ambled back to the centre of the bridge. "Wouldn't worry 'bout it. Y'never been cool in your life."

"Hey, I live in hope."

Though it'd been sunny during the walk to Junes, the wind had picked up after nightfall. The surface of the Samegawa was difficult to make out in the dark, but in the faint light from the sparse streetlamps, Kanji could see it churning and rippling. Good thing they were up here and not on the bank. His mind cast back to the time he'd tried to fish a rabbit doll out the river for that Takeshi kid, and spent fifteen minutes wading up to his knees in murky cold water. Souji, always a decent guy, had kindly refrained from laughing his ass off.

Takeshi wasn't much older than Nanako. Either they knew each other or Inaba had its own little kid grapevine, because a few weeks ago, she'd related the tale of the big boy who wore skulls and made cute dolls to her Big Bro and then asked why Kanji-san had never brought any of them to Junes. On hearing this from Souji, Kanji had scowled, muttered something about loudmouthed brats - then started wondering what type of animals Nanako liked best. A doll would've made a good present, if he'd ever gotten around to it.

"We could get her," Yosuke said, suddenly. "I know we screwed up last time, but we're tougher now. And we're almost at the top of the castle."

"Not worth the risk. Gotta trust Souji-senpai."

Yosuke's first response was a dismissive snort. "C'mon, Kanji," he muttered. "At least try to sound like you mean that. And since when were you the voice of reason?"

"Since I tried growing the hell up." Kanji leaned forward and rested his weight on his arms, palms pressed flat against the top of the bridge wall. "And I ain't always, not even close - but Souji-senpai is. He knows what he's doing."

"He's not making sense. Nanako-chan's _stuck_ in there, and he doesn't- -" Yosuke stopped, tilted back his head and stared up at the night sky. "...I dunno what's up with him."

"He's in that house by himself, for starters."

"Dude, I can't tell if that even bothers him."

"What d'you mean?"

Yosuke started fiddling with his headphones, flipping the plastic band up and down against the back of his neck. "I've gone back there with him a couple of times lately, tried to - - I dunno, keep him company or something...but..."

Souji had spent months helping his friends work through their problems. It was pretty damning, Kanji thought, that none of them had managed to return the favour.

Yosuke's sigh was barely more than a breath. "Remember before, I told you I knew him? I don't. I don't think anyone does."

Reading people's feelings wasn't easy, but it seemed like Yosuke needed something here. A clap on the back, maybe - or hell, even a hug. Unfortunately, it wouldn't come from Kanji. Hanamura had seen the bathhouse, seen Kanji's Shadow, then lost it over the prospect of spending one night in the same tent - and four months on, probably still would.

Definitely no hugs.

"Uh," he began, racking his brains for a decent response. Helpfully, Yosuke had an epiphany.

"Holy crap, I sound like _such_ a girl. Like, Rise_-_level girliness!" He let out a low noise of frustration, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. "I swear, Kanji - if you tell anyone you caught me on a bridge mooning around over Souji, I'll shove you straight in the river."

Kanji snorted. "Like to see you try."

"Mark my words. Couple of dozen people and a forklift truck, and in Tatsumi-kun goes."

"Yeah, yeah. We still headin' to Souji-senpai's or what?"

"I am. You can go home." Yosuke's smile was painfully ironic. "Not like I'll get kidnapped, y'know?"

He seemed sincere, and sleep sounded way more appealing to Kanji than a night spent watching his senpai arguing. "You, uh, gonna be -"

"Yeah. No problem." Yosuke paused - and for the first time since they'd met, Kanji got the impression he was carefully choosing his words. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you should go talk to Naoto again. _Someone_ has to. She'd probably listen to you."

"Didn't last time."

"Maybe not. But it's either you or Souji, dude," he said, and though the same thought had hit Kanji multiple times, hearing it out loud was much worse. The next moment, Yosuke's expression shifted into a lopsided, slightly sarcastic grin. "I'd better head out. Gotta have husband's meal on the table when he gets home."

"Never figured you for the domestic sort."

"And I'm gonna take that as a compliment." He turned and started walking across the bridge, toward the low houses on the other side. "Later, Kanji."

"Later." Kanji huddled into his leather jacket and set out in the opposite direction, back to the shopping district.

Souji was harder to pin down than anyone he'd ever met. Naoto, complicated and aloof, still took a distant second place. If you saw somebody's Shadow, you at least got some idea of what made them tick, the stuff they were (or weren't) dealing with - and Kanji had been there for the Secret Base.

Trouble was, Senpai didn't _have_ a Shadow. Yosuke had once joked that their fearless leader was just too boring to have any real problems. Souji had grinned in response and said that maybe he _had_ bumped into his Shadow when they'd first entered the TV, and Hanamura had been too busy squealing at that poor little Hablerie Ball to notice.

They'd had each others' backs right from the start. If anyone could get through to Souji, it'd be Yosuke.

Kanji frowned. He'd met Naoto first, hadn't he?

Admittedly, he'd grabbed the wrong end of the stick and run with it - and she'd still lied to him same as everyone else - but that didn't change base facts. Yosuke was gonna confront Souji, and Naoto needed someone to do the same for her. Striding past Daidara's with a new resolve stirring in his mind, Kanji vowed to make this work. He'd make her realize she didn't need to push him away, convince her that the team were in this together, and deliver a whole bunch of other life-changing insights - all of which sounded incredibly stupid the moment he noticed a small, blue-capped figure walking briskly toward him.

Must've gone to see Rise. Lent her a textbook or something. No other reason Naoto'd be in the shopping district this time of night - which meant she definitely wasn't here to see anyone else or be bothered by them, and so Kanji and his many unprepared insights would have to sprint down the nearest alley and find another route home.

...No, screw that. He'd marched Yosuke halfway across town to have it out with Souji. Hypocrisy left a bad taste in his mouth.

Kanji kept on walking, shoulders angled forward - until he realized exactly why Naoto was moving so quickly.

"Hey, Miss Yasogami! Wait up!"

A small group was trailing behind her in the dark - four guys, maybe five - and unlike last time, Kanji recognized the voice. Sonoda and his gang of losers. They'd probably been hanging around outside Aiya again; Otsuka never had the guts to chase them off, even after (or maybe because) they'd kicked his shop door half off its hinges back in August.

Naoto kept her head down and quickened her pace, but the older boys were faster. Two of them jogged into her path, cutting her off - and by the time she turned right to dodge around them, Sonoda had flanked her. She instantly darted back, leaving her pinned against the toy store's shutters.

Kanji forced himself not to move.

"Saw your big win, Shirogane. Surprised you were even in the running," Sonoda sneered, one hand pressed against the shutters above her head. "Didn't they have trouble figuring out which contest t'stick you in?"

_Stay put, Tatsumi._ It was dark, nobody had noticed him, and Naoto could do this. She'd taken down dozens of Shadows single-handed; punks like Sonoda were nothing. No reason to over react, right?

Naoto didn't look up. "Sonoda-senpai, I am sure there are more productive activities you could pursue."

"Girl, guy...maybe they hadta check first?"

One of the cronies tried to grab her shoulder, but she instantly smacked his hand away. Lightning reflexes, just like she'd done with Kanji back in the summer. Right before she'd gotten herself kidnapped.

Naoto could handle herself. Naoto _wanted_ to handle herself.

Kanji suspected there was a big difference between the two.

"My previous offer stands," she said. "The police station could undoubtedly accommodate you and your associates."

"_My associates_?" Sonoda taunted in a falsetto. "Wow, all those big words! You must really think you're something special."

Spineless as always, the rest of the gang laughed and jeered on cue. Naoto, cap still tipped down, stayed quiet.

Kanji knew guys like Sonoda. Always the center of attention and always playing to their audience. The real trouble started when somebody refused to stick to the script. Sonoda leaned back, shrugged his shoulders - then took a sudden swipe at Naoto's head, knocking her cap to the ground.

Hadn't hit her. She'd barely even flinched. But it was enough.

"Don't you frigging ignore me, _Naoto-kun_. Or we'll make damn sure you- -"

"Y'want something, idiot?"

Kanji had cleared the distance between them in seconds. Sonoda met his glare, mouth still curled in a snarl which quickly shifted to a snide grin. He glanced back at Naoto. "Man, Kan-chan follows you round everywhere!"

"I ain't following nobody," Kanji growled. "Just sick of you pushin' people around."

"At school, in town...what is he, your pet dog?"

At that, Naoto finally lifted her head. "Shut up."

"Got a nice doggie there, Naoto-kun. Even more of a fag than you."

"I said, _shut__ up_!"

Wasn't the first time Kanji had been called that. Should've been fine with it, after his Shadow. But he_ wasn't_, not yet and maybe not ever - and definitely not from some scumbag who hid behind his loser friends, who hurt people who didn't deserve it, who just stood there laughing and sneering and- -

"Asshole!" Kanji lunged forward, snatched the collar of Sonoda's shirt, and shoved him back against the shutters. "I'm gonna smack you so damn hard, you'll be fishing your teeth outta the river!"

"Kanji!"

He'd known Naoto would stop him. Part of him wished he'd stopped himself. The larger, wilder part knew that the look on Sonoda's face - wide eyes, forehead beaded with sweat, no trace of that stupid fricking sneer - was worth more than anything.

...But it wasn't. Five against two were good odds, but he'd be proving the wrong people right and letting the right people down. With a sideways glance at Naoto, Kanji lowered his arm and stepped back.

"Talk it up, Kan-chan." The slight shake in Sonoda's voice was far too satisfying. "Should crawl back to your dumb cotton store, take the little twink with you."

Kanji grit his teeth. "Fuck you."

"You wish," Sonoda spat, still fumbling with his shirt. "Shit, this is boring."

A short, stocky boy stepped forward and gripped Sonoda's elbow. "S'right. C'mon, Jiro, we're wasting our time on these freaks."

"Yeah. We're done here." Sonoda grabbed the cap from the pavement and tossed it at Naoto. "Catch ya later, Shirogane."

Kanji kept his eyes on the gang until they finally walked out of view. When he turned to face Naoto, she was cleaning the last traces of dirt from her hat. "...You okay?"

"I'm fine." She quickly put the cap back on her head and tugged down the brim. "He had no right to speak as he did."

Sometimes, a lie was just easier. "Ain't like I care. Dumbass can think what he wants."

"No, he can't. It isn't _right_."

Though it'd been white-hot initially, Kanji's fury had already dulled. Sonoda was just a narrow-minded asshole. "C'mon. Don't let him get to you."

"It's not him, it's - I should've- -" Naoto stopped, ran her hand over her mouth - then rounded on Kanji. "_Why_ must you always involve yourself?"

"'Cause I- -" He barely caught himself in time. Mouth suddenly dry, he swallowed and tried again. "'C-cause you keep getting your dumb ass into trouble! You seriously think I'm gonna walk away?"

It came out rougher than he'd meant, and a small, stupid part of him wished he'd stuck with his first answer.

Naoto stared at him. "You should," she said quietly.

His stomach had plunged to somewhere near his kneecaps, but he still held her gaze. "Well, I ain't. Deal with it."

None of this was working out. Naoto seemed more pissed off at him than at Sonoda. And she was still fricking _staring_ - back stiff, chin tilted up, eyes locked onto his with a look he couldn't hope to place.

The silence was unbearable. The way she broke it was no better. "If you put half as much effort into the case…"

Of course. Only thing Naoto'd ever cared about. Everything still came back to the culprit and the obsession with catching him that had nearly gotten her killed, even though she'd been in Inaba for over six months now and still hadn't managed to - -

Kanji paused, eyes narrowed. "Why are you still blamin'-"

"None of you have any idea what you're doing," Naoto said, gaze darting to one side. "I was a fool to imagine otherwise."

"Dammit, get over yourself!" The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. "We've been doing our best and this _ain't_ our fault!"

If he'd stopped to think, had the chance to register her slight recoil, he would've added _and_ _it isn't yours either._

"You, you presume to- -" Naoto shook her head sharply, already turning away. "I can't do this. Not now."

Instinctively, Kanji grabbed her arm. "Naoto. Wait."

She flinched again, almost imperceptibly - staring first at the large fingers snapped around her forearm, then up at him.

He quickly released his grip and used the hand to rub the back of his neck instead. "You - you should get some sleep tonight. All'a us should."

Naoto opened her mouth, then hesitated. The tension tightening her face suddenly disappeared, but the hollow look that replaced it was worse. "Go home, Kanji-kun."

He swallowed hard, wishing he knew what to say. "We'll get her out," he blurted. "I promise."

Naoto didn't answer. She turned, not looking back, and began walking swiftly toward the gas station.


	29. Chapter 23

_A/N: __Long__ chapter__ is __long.__ Apologies for the delay, real life intruding as always._

_Story __so__ far: __Everyone __was __a__ drama__ queen.__*_

_In __this__ part:__ Teddie__ goes__ bear-hunting, __the __team __conquer__ the __castle,__ and__ Kanji__ spends __a__ night __in __the __rain._

_(*__credit __to __DemonRaily,__ and __I __wish __I__'d thought of __it __for __the __last __chapter)_

* * *

**November 17****th****, 2011**

"I'm serious, Souji," Chie snapped. She shot him a fleeting sideways glare, but her attention stayed on Yukiko. "That was _way_ too close."

Kintoki-Douji finally flickered out of existence. Four Diarahans in a row must've snapped what energy he had left. Most of it had been spent hours ago, when Teddie had been scaling the castle's upper floors and Yukiko had been the one sitting idle outside the gates. Souji had come back for her later, of course - then almost gotten her killed, along with the rest of the team.

Kanji shook his head. Souji had done his best. And, pale face and frost-dusted sweater aside, Yukiko seemed fine now.

"C'mon, senpai," he said to her, reaching out his hand. With a faint smile, she latched on and let him pull her up.

Across the castle courtyard, Chie still hadn't quit. "We couldn't have crawled back here, we were so wrecked! What if you hadn't had any Goho-Ms?"

Souji mumbled something in response - and now Yukiko was joining in too, trying to intervene - but Kanji couldn't focus. He glanced over his shoulder. Naoto was sitting on the steps to the main entrance, fingers toying with the long tear in the left side of her school jacket. It ran down to the hem and the edges were stained rust red.

She'd been far better off than Yukiko - who Souji had basically carried back - but the slash she'd taken from a Dancer had been pretty bad. Leave your Persona running on empty and the hits got dangerous. If Souji hadn't warped the team out, she would've been in real trouble.

He walked over. "You, uh, doin' alright?"

Naoto looked up at him, then quickly away. She folded her arms over the torn fabric. "I am fine."

It was pretty sad, Kanji thought, that a three-word answer had doubled what she'd said to him since their run-in with Sonoda.

Souji's voice - rising and edged with frustration - cut through his thoughts. "It had _nothing_ to do with how strong we are," Senpai insisted, the heel of his hand pressed against his forehead. "I just…pushed a little too far." He sighed, dropping his arm back to his side. "I'm sorry."

Chie quirked an eyebrow at him. Glancing at Yosuke, Kanji saw his mouth curl into a small, relieved smile.

Souji turned to Rise. "You're still sensing something on the tenth floor?"

"Yeah. Something very strong," Rise said. Her visor and Himiko both dissolved into the air. "Feels a lot like a True Shadow."

"In that case, we're going back to the main lot."

"Agreed." Naoto quickly stood up and began walking toward him, noticeably favouring her left side. "We will purchase some restoration leaves and -"

"No. We're leaving. We'll try again tomorrow."

"Or the day after," Yosuke cut in, then cringed under Souji's sudden glare. "Look, partner, we're all beat. If Namatame's up on the next floor…"

Surprisingly, there was only a moment's hesitation. "Fair enough. Ted and the girls could use a break."

Chie gave a firm nod. Yukiko just looked away.

Naoto didn't say anything either - but Kanji had caught the flash of confusion in her eyes when Souji had first proposed leaving. He felt a little bewildered too; he'd been startled enough when Hanamura put the idea of a rest day forward, and he definitely hadn't expected Souji to agree. Whatever his two senpai had said to each other three nights ago had clearly changed _something_.

They filed back to the main lot, Rise taking the lead. Chie looked like she wanted to sling Yukiko over her shoulder and haul her out the television, but settled for quietly fussing over her instead. Kanji had resigned himself to just watching Naoto, and hoping she wouldn't catch him doing it. He needn't have worried; her gaze was fixed on Souji.

It wasn't until they were all lined up in front of the television stack, waiting to climb through the screen, that she finally pulled Senpai aside. They both moved to the edge of the lot, near one of the metal towers that held up the stage lights and out of hearing range. Kanji couldn't tell what they were discussing - only that every time he looked back, Naoto was the one speaking.

* * *

**November 18****th****, 2011**

"Dinner, fresh from Souzai Daigaku!" Yosuke pulled a Styrofoam container out of the bag, popped it open, and passed it to Souji. "Good prices, occasionally good food -"

"- and we'll spend so long chewing it, it'll last all week," Souji said, peering disdainfully at his blackened steak skewers.

Tired of waiting, Kanji had started rifling through the paper bag himself. Where the hell was his fried rice? "No way. If we don't finish it tonight, we're using the leftovers for ballistics."

"Ingrates," Yosuke muttered, with a roll of his eyes that turned into a wince when he opened his box of steak croquettes. "I was gonna call Aiya to deliver, but Souji's been living off that lately."

"I'm not a great cook," Souji said, a little sheepishly. "Never seem to have the right ingredients."

Senpai's new diet of greasy take-out probably didn't have much to do with his skills as a chef. Kanji glanced at him, then at the kotatsu, then shrugged. "You won that omelette cook-off."

Locked in battle with a mouthful of charred steak, Souji took a while to respond. "… I'm mediocre, not terrible," he eventually explained. "My parents tend to work late, so I learned to do the basics."

"Problem starts when you get creative. Like that cold potato soup thing you brought for lunch." Chopsticks aloft, Yosuke winced. "I haven't eaten mayonnaise since."

Souji's brow furrowed. "Ran out of milk. I was hoping it'd work."

Yosuke grinned, rolled his eyes again, and went back to his croquettes.

The silence felt more awkward than it should have. But they were sitting at the same table - and though Yosuke seemed weirdly nervous and everything Souji said sounded just a little forced, Kanji let it slide. His two senpai were at least trying to mend their bridges. More than he could say for him and Naoto.

…Shit, why was he dredging that up again? Kanji couldn't remember getting so hung up on anyone in his life; six months stuck on the same refrain.

He looked around the Dojimas' living room as he ate, trying to distract himself. Last time he'd eaten here had been at the watermelon party back in the summer. He'd turned half the kitchen upside down trying to find the damn salt until Nanako had finally taken pity on him and pulled it out from a dark corner cabinet. After that, she'd given him the grand tour: explained how she ordered the dishware, showed him where she'd found her half-eaten science project (with an apologetic note from Big Bro), and proudly pointed out her three crayon drawings of Detective Loveline, stuck with magnets to the front of the fridge.

The pictures were gone now, and so were the dolls and building bricks by the television stand. Kanji wasn't surprised.

"We should've gone in today," Souji suddenly said.

Yosuke glanced up mid-mouthful, quickly swallowed, then shook his head. "Nah. It's better that we take a break before - you know."

"Yosuke, she's been in there two weeks."

"An' tomorrow's the end," Kanji said. "Looking forward to takin' out Namatame, that son of a bitch."

Souji shot him a warning look. "Careful, Kanji. We need to bring them _both_ back safely."

Letting loser punks like Sonoda turn and run was one thing. Holding back on a kidnapping, murdering bastard was another completely - and who'd miss Namatame anyway? But Souji was still staring, waiting for an answer, so Kanji gave a halfhearted nod. "Gonna be like with Kubo. Kick his ass, haul him back out."

"Good. He'll face justice." Senpai was saying the right stuff. He just didn't sound all that convinced.

Opposite him, Yosuke had abandoned the croquettes in favour of poking holes in the foam container with his chopsticks. He glanced over his shoulder. "You okay there, Ted?"

Teddie was sitting cross-legged on the sofa and staring at the floor. For once, he hadn't been interested in dinner. Kanji wasn't sure whether the bear really needed to eat; maybe he'd just been mimicking everyone else.

"I was thinking," he said. "It's hard for humans to be inside the television. Nana-chan deserves something special when she gets back."

"She wanted a new kotatsu," said Souji. "This one doesn't heat up properly."

Yosuke shrugged. "No problem. We've got tons in stock at Junes and I get a store peon discount."

"Okay." Souji glanced at Kanji, mouth curved in a slight smile. "She might like a doll, too."

"Yeah, we sell those," Yosuke said, with a reproving glare at Teddie. "_Somebody_ keeps moving all the Risette ones to the front of the main display. You know those aren't really for kids, right?"

Teddie's forehead creased in confusion. "But _everyone_ likes Rise-chan! Nana-chan does too, we should get a Risette for her."

"Whatever, Ted. We'll get the nice, non-creepy kotatsu instead."

"We'll pick it up on Sunday," Souji said, then quietly added, "Depending on how things go."

"Cool. Hey - I, uh, brought a few DVDs. Two of them are Satonaka's dumb kung-fu stuff, but they're kinda fun."

Souji blinked at him. "She actually let you borrow them? After 'Trial of the Dragon'?"

"Hey, you know how it is, partner." Yosuke waggled his eyebrows. "Ladies can't say no."

"Never thought I'd hear you call Chie a lady."

The grin Yosuke had been sporting vanished. "Dude, _you're_ the one who keeps nagging me to be nicer to her!" He gestured toward his backpack, dumped by the kitchen table. "You wanna watch one?"

Souji fidgeted against the floor, expression now carefully blank. "Not tonight," he mumbled. "There's a lot to plan."

Yosuke looked crestfallen, but didn't push it. He diverted the conversation instead. Something about weird mystery gifts recently appearing in Souji's locker, and how he seriously needed to exploit his popularity. The rest of the evening continued in the same vein: Kanji tuning in and out as Yosuke flitted over inoffensive topics, Souji forcing tight smiles, and Ted staring out the window until the sky grew dark.

* * *

Kanji arrived back at the shop at around seven, helped his mother close up for the night - then pulled out a spare display stand and went to work.

Souji's comment about the doll hadn't been lost on him. It'd also reminded him of something else Senpai had suggested a few weeks back, in such an off-the-cuff manner that Kanji had initially ignored it, but which right now sounded like a great distraction. Something that'd keep him from worrying about tomorrow and stewing over Naoto - mostly because he'd be worrying over what everyone else would think instead.

But hell, it was time to man up. No turning back, Kanji vowed, as he grabbed a tennis-player tiger and added it to the stand.

If Takeshi and his mom had liked the dolls, perhaps other people would too - and it wasn't like anybody had to know who'd made them, right? Even if he only sold a couple, it'd offset the cost of his materials. And on the off chance they turned out to be popular, he could start taking more custom requests, get an order system going and - -

The shop bell rang behind him.

Startled, he dropped the pink rhinoceros in his hand, pivoted - and saw Teddie waving at him from the doorway, a cheerful smile on his face. "Hey, Kanji-chan!"

…Oh, _crap_.

Arms spread, Kanji lurched back and tried to hide the display. "Dammit, why're you here? Shop's closed!"

"Door's unlocked," said Teddie. "And I want to buy something."

"Y-you already got a scarf outta Ma!" Damn bear was wearing it now, and it was still yellow and now it clashed with his bright blue duffel coat too and why wouldn't he just fricking leave? "The hell else d'you need?"

"One of the dolls you made, Kanji-chan. You're standing in front of them," Ted added helpfully.

Kanji briefly debated flying into a full-on rage, but vetoed it in favour of lowering his arms, taking a deep breath, and trying to limit the damage. "H-how'd you know I- -"

"Tatsumi-san told me last time I visited. She said you like to make hats and scarves and dolls and that you're a bear-y good boy even if you do keep sticking metal in your face."

"Ted," Kanji began, very carefully. "You_ cannot_ tell anyone else 'bout this, got it? Or I swear, I will stuff you face-first in your bear suit and glue the zipper shut."

Teddie's frown landed somewhere between confusion and disappointment. "Why?"

"Because!" Souji knew, Naoto knew, and that was already two people more than Kanji had ever intended.

"But you've put them in the shop." Ted stepped forward, leaning around him and peering at the dolls perched on the display. "People are gonna see."

"So? Nobody has to know I made 'em!" Kanji would have to make doubly sure Ma understood that part. "An' it - it was Souji-senpai's idea anyway."

Teddie gave a satisfied nod. "Sensei has all the good ideas! Like what presents we should get for Nana-chan." He paused, fiddling with the drawstrings on his coat. "Which is why Teddie's here."

Realization dawned on Kanji. For perhaps the first time ever, Ted had a legitimate reason to be bugging him. "That's why you want one of the dolls?"

"Sensei's been busy lately," Teddie said, intently studying a purple stuffed giraffe. "He won't have time to pick out the best one."

Kanji had planned to choose the doll himself - but if he needed something to distract him, Ted probably did too. "…Fine," he said, stepping aside. "Have at it."

Teddie beamed at him, broad and uncomplicated, then turned back to the display.

He spent less time deciding than Kanji had expected. Ten minutes later - most of which Kanji spent sweeping the shop floor and desperately hoping that none of this would ever make it back to Yosuke - Teddie wandered over, a brown toy bear clutched in his hand.

Puppies, Kanji had figured. Maybe pandas. Souji had even mentioned something about a platypus, though that'd have to be a custom job. But a bear? He frowned, first at the doll, then at Ted. "Nanako likes bears?"

Teddie gave a small shrug. "She likes me."

Kanji looked at the stuffed bear again. He'd made it back in the spring, right after Souji and the senpai had pulled him out of the television. Kept it simple. No outfit, no accessories, just brown fur and button eyes.

"I, uh, could make her one a'you," he offered, staring resolutely at the broom in his hands and hoping his face wasn't as red as it felt. "In your suit."

"That's lovely, but why would you make a stuffed toy broom?"

Kanji's head snapped up. "No, dumbass! Of _you_!"

"Ohhhhh." Teddie paused again, brow furrowed in thought. "Later, maybe. Nana-chan will be back before you can finish it."

"…Yeah. 'Course."

"And a mini-Teddie could never be rushed." He held the bear aloft, one of its arms in each of his hands. "All the dashing good looks and enchanting charm that broke a thousand hearts, squeezed into one of these! It'll take you months."

Kanji didn't mention that he'd already started a few prototype Persona dolls, and that if he could wrangle Izanagi into knitted form then a suited Teddie would be a breeze. Instead, he leant the broom against the wall then snatched the bear from Ted's raised hands. "This is going in a bag and stayin' there till you give it to Nanako, alright?"

Teddie nodded absently as he rifled through his coat pockets. From the left, he pulled out a clutch of crumpled notes, and from the right, a handful of coins. "Here," he said, holding them out.

"Whassat for?"

"To pay for the doll."

"Dammit, Ted, I ain't takin' your money," Kanji growled. "Just - keep quiet 'bout all this, okay?"

For a moment, Teddie simply blinked at him. Then he shrugged again, put the notes and coins back in his pockets, and smiled. "If you want, Kanji-chan."

Kanji responded with a halfhearted scowl. The toy bear was going in the plainest bag he could find. Hell, he'd tape the top shut for good measure - and, in the future, remember to lock the fricking shop door.

* * *

**November**** 19th,**** 2011**

Getting back to the ninth level of the castle was simple. Kanji wasn't sure how, but, as usual, Souji could control where the entrance portal would let out, or at least at which floor. Only worked on levels they'd already fought through - _why __can't __anything __be __easy_, Senpai had once complained - but it was better than nothing. Especially when the TV world had a nasty habit of moving all the furniture around every time the team left.

However, that usually didn't involve getting rid of all the Shadows.

The twisted branch that stretched up to the tenth level was a long walk from where they'd warped in, yet they hadn't encountered a single Shadow. Like they'd all just up and vanished. Kanji was convinced that they'd come from Namatame rather than Nanako - so did that mean something had happened to him?

"I don't get this," Chie muttered, peering up through the gap between the ninth and tenth floors. "Where are all the Shadows? This place was crawling with them last time we were here!"

Rise stood at the back of the group, eyes covered by her Persona's visor. "Himiko can sense them…but on the next floor. Whatever's up there is acting like a magnet."

"Then we need to move quickly," said Souji. "Chie, Yukiko, Teddie, I want you up front."

For a split-second, Naoto looked utterly bewildered. "Senpai- -"

Souji cut her off with a sharp shake of his head. "You aren't equipped for this fight. We've never encountered a True Shadow vulnerable to light or dark and Sukuna-Hikona's other attacks weaken you too much."

"But I need to- -"

"Naoto-kun, we talked about this. The decision's been made."

"...Very well." Hands clasped behind her back, Naoto stood down and stiffly stepped away.

"What about the rest of us?" Yosuke asked, a little too hopefully.

"I'll need two strong healers, and Chie's our best front-line fighter," Souji said, glancing at him and Kanji in turn. "I'm sorry."

"…No worries." Yosuke tried to smile, but it quickly faltered. "We'll have your back, partner."

They scaled the branch to the tenth floor one-by-one, Souji taking point and Teddie (who had enough trouble negotiating stairs in his bear suit) clinging to his waist. Chie and Yukiko went next, then Naoto, then Rise and Yosuke - with a stern warning from the former that the latter had better be good at climbing with his eyes closed. By the time Kanji made it to the top, Souji was standing in front of a huge set of double doors, each carved of dark granite and decorated with a golden lion's head.

He leaned forward and pressed one ear against the smooth surface. "Definitely something behind there. Sounds like a lot of voices all talking at once."

"Can you hear Namatame?" Yosuke asked. "Or Nanako-chan?"

Souji shook his head. "Rise, you're sure they're both here?"

"Positive, Senpai."

"Right. Let's go."

The doors were as heavy as they looked. Kanji and Chie each shoved one halfway open and the rest of the team spilled through the gap - directly on to a narrow wooden bridge. On the other side was an island, bathed in brilliant sunlight and somehow floating in the air. Beautiful as the castle entrance had been, 'Heaven' had still seemed a weird name for a place crawling with Shadows - but now, Kanji understood. The Shadows had been Namatame's, same as the nine floors of twisting passages that led here. This place was Nanako's.

…But what the hell was with all the whispering? Dozens of overlapping voices that Kanji could barely tell apart, much less recognize. He couldn't even make out any words. Were people watching them on the Midnight Channel again?

"There, on that island." Rise pointed across the bridge. "That's where the Shadows are gathering. An think Nanako-chan might be there."

Yukiko hesitated, glancing first at Chie, then at Souji. "Um, maybe we should go slowly. We don't know what to- -"

Souji took off running.

As the team followed him haphazardly across the bridge, the sun only seemed to get brighter, its rays reflecting off the white stone statues circling the floating island's rim. Yukiko was right - they ought to be careful, something felt _wrong_ - but Souji just kept going, barreling up the steps on the other side and leaving Kanji no choice but to follow.

Halfway up, Senpai jerked to a halt. Kanji almost slammed into him - then looked over his shoulder. At the top of the steps, dwarfed by the statues, stood a man dressed in the same green uniform and cap as the deliverymen Kanji regularly saw at the textiles shop. Had to be Namatame. And he was holding Nanako.

"B-Big Bro!" Nanako cried, squirming in Namatame's grip.

He twisted sideways, tugging her with him as if to shield her. "No! You mustn't leave!"

"Namatame." Souji's voice was stretched far too taut. "Let her go."

Namatame's eyes widened with surprise. His grip on Nanako relaxed a fraction.

"We know who you are and what you've done," Yukiko said. "Let go of Nanako-chan!"

He stared at her, face flickering with recognition. "I remember you. The girl in the kimono. You were smiling. You - you were supposed to be safe in here." His blank gaze traveled over Kanji and Rise in turn. "You all were."

Naoto climbed a step higher, passing Souji. "Nothing about this world is safe. Release the child and we can all leave."

Namatame blinked at Naoto, then down at Nanako, like he'd forgotten he was holding her. "No…you don't understand, I have to save her too."

That same 'save' crap as before…and none of it mattered. The scumbag had hold of Nanako, he was hurting her, and they were all just standing and watching while he- -

"Quit talkin' shit and let the girl go!" Kanji roared, launching himself forward.

He made it two steps up before noticing someone had grabbed hold of his jacket. It was another step further before Namatame reacted - jerking back, face twisted with fear, both arms tightening around Nanako. "D-don't come near me!"

…Dammit. Freak the guy out, he might hurt Nanako worse. She'd started coughing, smacking her small fists against the forearm pressed against her neck. Kanji stopped dead - then realized someone was still tugging on the back of his jacket. Someone who he'd just pulled up three steps.

Glancing over his shoulder, he barely caught sight of Naoto behind him. "What're you- -"

"Calm down!" she hissed. "We have no idea what we're dealing with!"

"But he's gonna hurt her!"

"If you startle him again, almost certainly. It would be reckless to take any action without discerning his intentions. We have to keep him talking."

Shit, how was Naoto so calm? She'd fought almost every step of the way up here, even gotten pissed over not being on the final team - and now she wanted to _talk_ to this asshole?

With three steps between them, Naoto and Souji were on the same eye level. He looked at her, jaw tensed. "…Are you sure about that?"

Naoto gave him a firm nod, then stepped out from behind Kanji to face Namatame. "Why are you doing this?

Namatame didn't answer at first; just stared into space, eyes glazed and hollow. "On rainy nights, on the television…they signal me…to save them." he finally answered. "That's why I put them in. That's why I brought this child in."

"Big Bro, h-help me!"

"Dammit, just let her go!" Souji yelled.

He wasn't supposed to snap like that; he wasn't that kind of guy. The most emotion Kanji had seen him show was right after their failed attempt at rescuing Naoto, and even then he hadn't sounded so desperate, hadn't had his voice crack halfway through. Now he was staring up at Nanako, one foot on the next step up but his body twisted away - like half of him wanted to move and the rest didn't.

"Senpai, we need to pull his attention _away_ from Nanako-chan!" Naoto hadn't taken her eyes off Namatame, and if Souji had planned to answer, she didn't give him time. "Namatame-san. How does putting people in this place constitute saving them?"

Namatame was still staring away, gaze fixed on the top step of the wide staircase. "It was supposed to be a safe place - b-but it _isn't_. They're everywhere, I - you can hear them, can't you?" He shivered. "I - I didn't know…I just wanted to save you."

Rise was still at the back of the group, but the girl always knew how to make herself heard. "Did _I _ever ask you to save me?"

More importantly, how did throwing someone in here help them? "And you didn't save us, dammit!" Kanji snarled. "It was the exact opposite!"

"But…if I hadn't put you in the TV - how would you have ended up?"

A hell of a lot better, Kanji thought. Wouldn't have woken up in some weird-ass bathhouse, wouldn't have needed rescuing, would never have met his flaming creeper of a Shadow and had to listen to it whine over- -

He paused.

Facing his Shadow had been one of the most difficult and painful experiences in his life. But what would've happened if he hadn't?

Rise must've hit the same conclusion. "…You mean, we wouldn't have been able to face ourselves? But - but we nearly died!"

Namatame stared at her, expression suddenly pained. "Exactly. And you didn't - because of me."

Behind Kanji, Souji drew a deep breath. "We're getting nowhere, Naoto-kun."

Naoto twitched her head to the right, as if to glance back at him, but her gaze stayed fixed on Namatame. "I have one more question. What is your connection to the Midnight Channel? Are you controlling it?"

He shook his head fiercely. "No! How could I? I-I don't know how it works! Innocents appear, tell me to help them. Save them."

"How does murdering people _save_ them?" Souji barked. "What kind of savior tries only to kill?

"Murder…? No, no, I'm helping them!"

"_We've_ helped people. You've done nothing but harm!"

Doubt flared in Namatame's eyes but shifted immediately into anger, impossible shadows flickering over his face. "Shut up!" he snarled, his entire being focused on Souji. "I _know_ you. I know what you are!"

"What are you - -"

"All the people_ I_ saved…you're using them. Fooling them," Namatame spat. "This girl included! But you won't hurt her anymore - because I'm gonna save her!"

Couldn't talk to the guy. Why had they even bothered trying? All they'd done was waste time listening to him babble and talk shit about Senpai - and despite his best attempts to control it, Kanji's temper finally snapped. "You asshole! You're not gonna get away with this!"

Naoto grabbed his arm. "Hold on - we have to - -"

Kanji broke from her grip without effort and strode up another two steps. "What we have t'do is kick his ass!"

"Kanji-kun, we need to find out what he knows!"

"Enough!" Souji snapped, with a vicious swipe of his arm. "I've had it with this - -"

_"Shut__ the __hell __up!"_

At the sound of Namatame's voice - now almost a scream - Kanji pivoted back to face him. Dark fog curled around his body, his face and yellow eyes now fully cast in the same strange shadows.

_"What__ a __wonderful __world__…__an__ unknown,__ unreachable __place, __filled__ with __fog."_ He laughed, a high-pitched, terrible sound that echoed through the air. _"It's__ filthy__ over__ there.__ So__ many__ evildoers__…__but_ I'm_ a __Saviour!__ A__ righteous__ hero!"_

Souji lunged forward. "No you _aren't_!"

Naoto made a grab for his jacket. "Senpai, wait!"

But Souji was already running, shoving past her and scaling the remaining steps two at a time. "Nanako!"

After that, everything seemed to happen at once.

Naoto immediately hurtled after Souji. Yosuke yelled at them both to stop. Chie slammed into his back as she barreled up the stairs, Yukiko and Teddie almost tripping over her in turn - and somewhere behind them, Rise was begging everyone to wait, this wasn't safe, they weren't even in formation and –

Teeth clenched, Kanji ran up to the dais in long, quick strides. He hauled his fist back, aiming for Namatame's head, but the arm Souji slammed against the bastard's throat proved far more effective. Namatame staggered backwards, hands moving to his neck - and Naoto, small and agile, darted in and caught Nanako as she fell.

Souji glanced between Namatame and his cousin, hesitated - then snatched her from Naoto's arms.

Kanji braced his shoulders. Rapid footsteps sounded behind him - Chie and Yosuke, probably, and in his peripheral vision he glimpsed Souji backing toward the stairs - but he didn't dare take his attention off Namatame.

He was breathing hard, fists clenching and unclenching. _"Give__…__her__…__back."_

"Go to hell," Souji spat.

_"No!__ I'm__ - __going__ - __to __save__ her!"_

The final word stretched into a long scream - and the sun vanished.

Kanji was left blinking as he adjusted to the sudden lack of light. The wind picked up, so suddenly it almost whipped his jacket off his back. Above him, the cloudless sky had turned a deep bruised purple - and at the far edge of the dais, flanked by two of the statues, Namatame's figure was outlined in glowing blue smoke.

Something was wrong. Kanji knew the drill; he'd not only stared his own Shadow in the face, he'd punched the guy out. Where was the other Namatame?

Halfway down the stairs, Rise had already evoked. _"Kanji-kun,__ Naoto-kun, move!"_

He leapt back just as the first bony spike exploded through Namatame's chest. Another burst out the man's back with a wet crunch, jerking him backward like a rag-doll, then two more through his shoulders - his whole skeleton cracking and reforming.

The wind buffeted Kanji as it tore across the dais. "The hell's happening to him?"

"He's merging with the Shadows!" Teddie yelled above the howling gale. "Sensei, we have to do something!"

No time. Rise had been right; Namatame was a magnet, ripping shapeless black masses out of the ether that fused to his skin. They slowly dragged him higher, his limbs dangling like a puppet's.

The screaming finally stopped. Bones creaking, a sound like wet cloth tearing - then nothing at all. Kanji's vision flashed a dizzying white.

It took him longer to recover this time - valuable seconds that felt like hours - and when his sight returned it was dotted with glittering lights. Squinting, he tipped back his head, wondering why the sky had turned blue again - then froze.

Behind him, Chie let out a whistle. "Okay, this one wins the prize."

Kanji was used to freaky True Shadows. Technicolor strippers, hat-wearing cyborgs, giant evil babies, he'd met (then clobbered) them all, but Namatame's was a new level of weird. Its body hung in the air, suspended from spiked concentric rings rotating around its massive head, spindly arms swaying at its side. Wings sprouted from its back, poking through its flowing white gown. Looked like a twisted version of one of Souji's Personas; Gabriel, Uriel, something like that. As if Namatame had tried to make his own version out of Shadows - and himself.

People confronted their Shadows. They didn't become them. What would happen when they beat this one?

…Like it mattered right now. Kanji cracked his knuckles. "Ain't nothing new. We're taking it down!"

"Chie, Yukiko, Teddie, I need you up." Souji stared down at his cousin as she lay limp in his arms. "And - I need someone to - -"

Yosuke crouched down in front of him and reached out for Nanako. "I've got her. Go!"

Souji eased her into Yosuke's arms, gave a quick nod toward the rest of the team - then stood up and fell into battle stance, Chie, Yukiko and Teddie mirroring the action.

They'd planned this. And Kanji had sat out a big chunk of Rise's Shadow fight, so this was nothing new.

…So why did he feel at such a loss?

He shook his head. Yosuke and Naoto had already retreated to where Rise was standing, in the middle of the stairway. Kanji quickly followed.

Cradling Nanako in one arm, Yosuke sat down on a step and pressed two fingers of his free hand against her neck. "She's breathing, and I can feel a pulse…but I don't know what else we can do for her."

Naoto glanced down at Nanako, expressionless, then looked away.

Kanji could hear air rushing behind him, at the top of the stairs; the sound of four Personas being evoked in unison. If he went up there, he'd get in the way. Senpai had always insisted he could only handle a four man team.

"…We've gotta stay here," Yosuke was saying, mostly to himself. "Look after Nanako and - -"

Lightning crashed down, the crackling roar of a Ziodyne. Kanji spun round. Teddie was flat on his back, arms and legs wriggling as he tried to right himself, but nobody was free to help. With Namatame so high off the ground, Chie's kicks were useless, forcing her to use Suzuka Gongen's taxing physicals instead and leaving Amaterasu casting out wave after wave of healing magic. Souji was busy flipping through Personas, tossing out every elemental he had.

None of it was working.

Kanji glanced sideways. Naoto was standing beside him, lips drawn in a pale thin line. "We need to help them."

Beneath Himiko's visor, Rise gave a slight shake of her head. _"You can't. Kanji-kun and Yosuke-senpai aren't strong enough."_

"_I_ am."

"_No, Naoto-kun, not for fights like this. Besides, if I have to track too many people then Himiko gets muddled."_

Rise was right on all fronts. Hama and Mudo never worked on True Shadows and Kanji and Yosuke would be tossed aside like empty soda cans. Naoto didn't respond, and hardly moved except for the slight twitch of her hand at her side. The thumb and forefinger were pinched together as if ready to throw a card.

Up on the dais, Yukiko was trying to heal Teddie, until a flurry of icicles drove her backwards to the edge of the top step. Chie ran over to haul him up instead, Souji and Cerberus covering her dash with a jet of flame, but she'd barely grabbed his hand when Namatame Garudyned them both. The gale almost threw her off the edge and slammed Ted into Souji like a bowling ball.

Too many of the team were down. Namatame took the opening. He started spinning in rapid circles, each rotation faster and faster, showers of sparks falling from his metal halo - then, just as suddenly, he stopped.

…What kind of attack was that?

Naoto inclined her head toward Rise. "Was that a debuff?"

_"No…but Namatame's__…__changed.__ I __don't __get __it, I'm__ scanning __him__ and __all __I__ get __are __Agi __spells!"_

Souji was on his feet again. All Kanji could see was his back, outlined with the unmistakable blue glow of a Persona card. "Chie!" he yelled. "Guard!"

Whatever had made Tomoe Gozen morph into Suzuka-Gongen had given Chie a major boost, and a fireball that a few weeks ago would've sent her flying merely staggered her. A black and white figure twirled out of nowhere, spear thrust forward, but vanished a split-second later in a sudden burst of light. With nothing else to block it, the light - a beam of sunshine, shot out from the glowing orb on Namatame's halo - shone on Chie instead. Stumbling, she tangled her feet together and fell to the floor.

The beam hadn't been electricity, though, hadn't been much of an attack at all, and she was back on her feet in a moment - but the motion looked wrong. Like someone was yanking her up on strings. Arms and legs stiff, she jerked back, swung sideways - then lurched forward toward Namatame.

Kanji watched, waiting for her to attack the Shadow. She didn't.

_"Wait, what __are you__- __-__Chie-senpai! __Stop!"_

Yosuke's head jerked up. "Satonaka? What's she doing?"

Naoto was staring at the dais, eyes narrowed behind her glasses. "…She's switching sides."

And Kanji knew that had to be wrong, Naoto had totally the wrong idea - until Chie hurled herself toward Souji, landing a kick square in his abdomen.

Senpai wasn't prepared, had no reason to be. He doubled over and fell to his hands and knees. Namatame angled forward again, arms dangling limp at their elbows, and another beam of light flashed through the air - half of it catching Teddie as he tried to pull himself up and the rest hitting Yukiko a few meters behind him. Just like Chie, they both staggered back, stiffened - then moved to flank her. It was hard to tell from where Kanji was standing, but it looked almost like they were being dragged.

"They're gonna - - dammit!" he growled. "The hell's he doing to them?"

_"Teddie, Yukiko-senpai - please!" _Rise usually kept her hands clasped together while evoking - but now they were balled into fists. _"You aren't thinking straight!"_

"Have you seen this affliction before?" Naoto asked.

_"No__…__this __is __different. __Namatame__'s __-__ he's __controlling __them __somehow,__ they're__ not __listening __to __me!"_

Naoto gave a sharp nod. "Yosuke-senpai, please remain with Nanako-chan."

"Wait a sec," Yosuke began, "what are you- -"

But Naoto was already running up the stairs.

No way were Kanji's reflexes as fast as hers. By the time he threw himself into a run she was almost at the top. He hurtled after her in long strides, taking the steps two at time until he reached the dais - just in time to see Chie slam knee-first into Naoto and send them both tumbling back down the stairs.

He yelled Naoto's name without thinking, almost ran down after her, but caught himself on the top step.

Yukiko and Ted hadn't noticed him. Just kept tossing out ice shards and streaks of fire at Souji. Izanagi was taking the worst of it, but how long would that last?

Naoto might not be able to handle Chie - Kanji wasn't sure _he_ could - but she at least had a fighting chance. Souji didn't.

Kanji angled himself forward, planning to run in and haul Senpai up. A searing wall of flame cut him off at the first step. Didn't hit him - he'd felt the heat coming, leapt back on instinct - but it made reaching Souji impossible. He started back for the steps, hoping to run around the flames, and almost slid off the dais. Ted had iced the floor.

Shit. They wanted to take Souji out. Didn't care about anyone else until the moment they tried to help him - which was probably why Chie had tackled Naoto.

How was he supposed to- -

"Tatsumi! Keep 'em busy!"

Yosuke's voice. Kanji didn't bother to look back. He darted in front of Souji instead, jumping clear over the patch of ice, and turned to face Yukiko and Teddie. Namatame dangled near-motionless in the air behind them.

Kanji was bad at some things, good for others. Making a ruckus was one of the latter.

"Hey! Y'dumb bear! Thass right!" he shouted, waving his arms to draw Teddie's attention. "An' you, Yukiko-senpai! C'mon, I'm not even singed!"

The worst part was her expression. Kanji could see it on Teddie too, had even glimpsed it on Chie as she'd slammed Naoto down the stairs. Yukiko raised one arm, face frozen in that same look of blank terror, Amaterasu's card glowing in her hand - and he dove without thinking.

Three long, fiery streamers seared past him. Couldn't see where they struck, or who - and he should've taken them, made sure they didn't hit Senpai or Hanamura - but now Ted was gearing up too, Kintoki-Douji flickering to life behind him.

Kanji's first, primal instinct was to will his card into his palm. Instead, he ran forward. "You heard me, bear! What's that butterball Persona of yours waitin' for?"

Bracing himself against the flurry of hail, he let Take-Mikazuchi swallow the damage. At the back of his mind, the Persona was roaring. No words but the meaning was clear: they were in a fight, they had to take the bastards down, why the hell wasn't Kanji evoking?

Because Souji had rules. Number one: never willingly sic your Persona on your friends. You took a bad hit, got confused, Senpai would just cast Silence and seal everything away. Fists and feet were simple. Personas were a different matter; something Kanji was rapidly finding out.

The last lumps of ice slammed into him. He clenched his teeth to keep them from chattering. "H-Hanamura! Move it!"

"I've got him!" Yosuke called out. "C'mon, Souji, you're gonna - whoa!"

Glancing over his shoulder, Kanji saw Chie rocket forward, leg outstretched in a flying kick that barely missed Yosuke's head. Yosuke dodged down and left, threw his card before he'd even stopped moving - and in a rush of wind, Jiraiya whirled into existence.

Kanji spun around, a curse already on his lips, but for once Hanamura knew what he was doing. Jiraiya was pulling his punches, casting a gale fierce enough to keep Chie at bay yet too weak to do her any harm.

Wait a sec. If she'd made it back up here, was Naoto - -

No time to finish the thought. Yukiko was on the offensive again, tossing out two Agidynes in a row. The first fireball landed half a meter to Kanji's left. The second should've caught Souji head-on - but the flames seemed to arc around him instead and quickly died away.

_"Kanji-kun!__ Move!"_

Kanji darted right, and a bolt of golden light sliced through the space where he'd been standing.

Same beam that'd gotten Chie and the others. He had to pay more attention. He glanced at Teddie and Yukiko in turn, searching for the glow of their cards, then back at Souji. Senpai was still on his knees, but now Naoto was standing behind him. A lightning rush of relief coursed through Kanji - then froze ice cold in his veins.

Naoto's arm was straight and stiff, the barrel of her gun pressed against the back of Souji's scalp.

Beam must've caught her. Shit, this was bad. Fire and ice were harsh enough, but a bullet to the head? Could any Persona block that?

"Snap outta it, Naoto!" he yelled - knowing better than to hope she'd listen.

Senpai's lips were moving but the gun stayed at his head. Kanji swallowed against the tightness in his throat, wondering if he could evoke fast enough.

Then he noticed Naoto's arm trembling.

Her eyes flickered right for a split-second, meeting his - and he launched himself forward.

Naoto had to have seen him coming, yet she stayed rigid even when he caught her in a full body tackle. As they hit the floor - Kanji with his arms around her, trying to both restrain her and limit the impact - a shot rang out.

Stomach twisting, he glanced over his shoulder. Souji stared back at him, eyes wide. Naoto must've jerked her arm sideways at the last second.

Which meant she still had her gun.

Kanji rolled over, flipping her onto her back and knocking her revolver from her hand in a single fluid motion. He grabbed her arms at the elbows and pinned them against her sides - one knee pressed against the cord linking her gun to her belt.

Naoto blinked up at him. "...Kanji-kun?"

He didn't dare let go. "You - you with it again? 'Cause I ain't gonna - -"

_"Kanji-kun!__ The__ atmosphere's__ shifted__ again, I'm getting nothing but Garu magic!__"_

Oh, _shit._

The blast of wind hit him harder than a Panzer's cannon. As he hurtled through the air, sailing clear over the staircase, he was briefly grateful for two things: that he hadn't been blown off the side of the island instead, and that he'd thought to let go of Naoto first.

He didn't remember hitting the floor. Everything just went blank.

At least, until something started shaking him. Whatever it was, it pissed him off. Like his head didn't hurt enough already - or everything else. Kanji tried for an impressive and creative string of curses, but it came out more like a half-growled grunt.

"…Crap…c'mon, you big ox…"

Somebody's voice. Somebody Kanji promptly smacked in the head - or would've, if his own hadn't been throbbing so badly.

A sudden breeze picked up. He tensed his muscles on reflex - but this one was gentle, even warm. It made everything hurt a little less, and he forced his eyes open. A slightly blurred Yosuke was floating above him, nose bloody and mouth curved in a nervous grin. "Ha! See, Tatsumi, I knew you were just faking me out."

Kanji swallowed. His mouth still tasted like iron. "…What th' hell..."

"Garudyne." Yosuke rubbed the back of his hand against his nose, smearing the skin with blood. "Dude, for someone so heavy, you flew like a bird! Or a brick."

"Th-the fight - are th'others still - -"

"Yeah. Naoto's holding them back from Souji, we gotta go help."

Kanji bolted upright. "You friggin' left her up there?"

"She told me to get you! Stop griping and- -"

He didn't wait for the rest. Muscles aching with the effort, he barreled up the stairs past Rise and Nanako, back to the dais.

Sukuna-Hikona was in clear view, darting through the air as he dodged fireballs and ice shards. Naoto wasn't. It wasn't until Kanji reached Souji that he realized she was on her hands and knees two meters ahead. Her revolver was on the floor beside her, still attached to its cord, and she was trying to grab it - but a sharp kick caught her in the ribs and knocked her onto her back.

Chie leaned back, one foot raised above Naoto's head.

"I am so gonna get my ass kicked for this!" Yosuke groaned, then hurled himself shoulder-first toward Chie, sending them both crashing down in a tangle of limbs.

Amateratsu and Kintoki-Douji were hovering by their owners, prepping another barrage of fire and ice. Kanji had to move quickly, get Naoto off the floor and out the way - but a heavy weight was hanging from his jacket.

He glanced down. Souji had latched on to the hem. "Maziodyne."

"B-but y'said we shouldn't ever - -"

"I-I know. But - we have to buy time."

Kanji took a deep breath, summoned his card - and crushed it in his fist.

With a roar of thunder, Take-Mikazuchi burst into existence, lightning crackling from his hands in a wave of jagged bolts. Amateratsu's fireball sputtered into embers as Yukiko was staggered by a direct hit. Ted was left shuddering on the floor, even after the electricity had fizzled away.

Kanji grit his teeth, told himself that the sudden thrill of excitement was solely his Persona's - but in the end, weren't they the same damn thing? Was this what he really - -

A sickening crunch sounded somewhere to his right. When he turned his head, Yosuke was crumpled in front of Chie, left arm twisted at an impossible angle.

Chie stared down, confused and horrified. "Y-Yosuke? Why're you - -"

_"Chie-senpai, __you're__ back!__ Please, __you __have __to__ help __Yukiko-senpai!"_

"But Yosuke's…"

Souji must've called one of his Personas during Take-Mikazuchi's attack, fixed himself up enough to stand. "Chie, go! I've got him!"

Chie took off running. She reached Yukiko in a moment, dodged a swipe from the other girl's razor-sharp fan - then drew back her hand and slapped her friend hard across the cheek. The fan clattered to the floor.

_"Kanji-kun, stop gawking and get Teddie!"_

…The hell was he supposed to do with Ted? Wallop him? At a loss for anything better, Kanji ran to the bear's side and tried to pin down his arms, same as he'd done with Naoto. Unfortunately, Ted - or his suit - was a lot rounder. The grab turned into a grapple, earning Kanji a growl that reminded him far too much of Teddie's hollow-eyed Shadow.

He lunged sideways over the suit; knees trapping one of Teddie's arms against the floor, hands holding down the other. "Dammit, Ted! You think this shit is gonna help Nanako?"

Mid-flail, Teddie stopped struggling.

"Yeah, s'right! Nanako-chan needs you. You're the only one who can get her outta here. Now quit being such an ass!"

"…That - that's not bear-y nice, Kanji-chan."

Twisting against the suit, Kanji managed to glimpse Ted's face. The frozen look of terror had turned into a hurt frown. "Yeah, and I ain't either," he muttered, pushing himself to his feet.

He glanced around. Souji and Yosuke were a few meters behind him, the latter clutching his arm as Kikuri-Hime bathed him in pale yellow light. Chie was pulling a dazed-looking Yukiko toward them. Ted quickly abandoned his attempts to stand up in favour of rolling away on his side - something was seriously wrong with that bear - and Naoto was - - slumped on the floor at the top of the stairs.

Kanji made it two strides before he realized where Ted was headed.

"He's got her, Kanji!" Souji yelled. "I need you for Namatame!"

They'd all taken bad hits before. Naoto had been both tough and smart enough to haul herself somewhere safer before passing out. And what was more useful: fussing over her or kicking Namatame's ass?

Kanji lifted his palm, card burning. "C'mon, Take-Mikazuchi!"

His senpai started hurling out what little they had left - Amaterasu casting sweeping streams of fire, Suzuka-Gongen thrusting and twirling her spear, Souji crushing a different card with every attack. Namatame was tossing elementals in response, vicious blasts of wind included, but the gaps between each attack were growing longer.

Bastard was going down. Take-Mikazuchi's massive form crashed forward, grabbed the metal halo in both fists, and pulled hard - Kanji's own hands automatically mimicking the motion. Dragged down with his halo, Namatame dropped low enough to touch the floor. Swinging his shield forward, Kanji ran to attack, but Chie was quicker. Never saw her launch the kick - just slam foot-first into Namatame's left cheek, wrenching the Shadow's neck sideways and earning a shrill shriek. Kanji gladly cut it off with a well-aimed throw of his shield directly into Namatame's forehead.

It'd only dazed him, but that was enough. Thor was already there, hammer held high over his helmet, electricity crackling over the metal surface. Souji glared at the Shadow, fist clenched and on his knees - and the hammer smashed down. The Shadow disappeared in a shower of light, leaving a crumpled, human Namatame face down on the floor.

It struck Kanji then that they might've killed the guy - and that, disturbingly, he didn't care.

"That…" Yosuke managed, still curled on his side and cradling his arm, "was just about…the worst thing ever."

Shrugging off Chie's offer of help, Souji pulled himself up. "Nanako - is she…"

_"I've got her, Senpai."_

As most of the team headed back down to Rise, Kanji stayed put. Someone had to watch Namatame. Chie didn't leave either, just kept staring into space, shifting from foot to foot - at least until Naoto walked up between them.

Startled, Chie raised her hand as if to touch Naoto's shoulder - then pulled back. "Naoto-kun - I-I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to - -"

Naoto shook her head. She had her jacket sleeve pressed against her chin, trying to stem the blood trickling from her lower lip. "You weren't at fault."

"Well, at least we know you can handle yourself now. Took on three of us at once!" Chie's smile was desperately forced. "Kanji-kun can finally quit worrying."

Denial was too exhausting. Naoto hadn't bothered to glare at him anyway, instead turning her attention to Namatame. "…We should take him with us."

She was right. Couldn't leave anyone to die in here - no matter how much they deserved it. "Guess so," Kanji muttered.

* * *

The rain started up shortly after the police arrived. Just a light drizzle, but it was enough to leave Kanji shivering beneath his jacket. Or perhaps it was exhaustion; just staying upright was a pain, especially when he still felt like he'd been used as a football, and the flashing lights of the two ambulances didn't help.

Nanako was already inside one of them with Souji and Yosuke, who the paramedics had hassled into getting his arm checked out. Two cops were hauling Namatame into the other. Kanji was grateful that for once the team had gotten lucky, and Junes had already closed by the time they'd climbed out of the television - because while explaining how they'd found Namatame near Junes would be difficult, it was far easier than finding a reason he would've been wandering around an empty electronics department.

In truth, Naoto was the one stuck doing the explaining. One of the plain-clothes detectives - a bearded, older looking guy, probably one of the seniors - had pulled her aside about five minutes ago. From what Kanji could see, she didn't look fazed, but it would've been nice if they could've all gotten their stories straight first.

"Guys…how are we gonna get to the hospital?" Rise asked. She'd pulled her own jacket up over her head to block the rain.

Kanji shrugged. "Walk, I guess." Wasn't that far, and they wouldn't get drenched. Smart enough to check the forecast, Yukiko, Chie and Naoto had all brought their umbrellas and stashed them in the main lot - though only Yukiko had thought to grab them before leaving.

"Maybe the police could take us?"

"I doubt it," Yukiko said, before Kanji had the chance to point out that of all the ways he'd prefer to travel, inside a cop car was bottom of the list. "There's too many of us, and they'll be busy with Namatame."

Like that asshole even mattered now. He needed to face justice - even if it wasn't the sort he really deserved - but Nanako was the real concern. It'd only taken Souji and the team a couple of days to pull Kanji out. Rise and Naoto were in there much longer, and suffered for it. Eventually they'd recovered, just needed some rest - but Nanako was a little kid, and she'd been stuck in there two whole weeks.

The old detective had finally quit badgering Naoto. She headed over to the group, hands shoved in her coat pockets.

Chie bit her lip. A vivid bruise had blossomed on her left cheek; maybe Naoto had gotten in at least one good hit. "Naoto-kun - what did you tell them? Are they gonna want to talk to us too?"

Naoto hesitated, watching a beat cop close the doors of Namatame's ambulance. "…I doubt it. Few meaningful questions were asked after Kubo's arrest and I expect this to be no different." It sounded a little bitter. "Try not to worry, Chie-senpai. I provided only a vague explanation to Detective Ishikawa. I'll concoct a more suitable story later."

"But what if - -" A car pulled up close behind them, and Chie stopped short. "Wait, isn't that - that other detective? Adachi?"

"Late as usual," Naoto muttered as Adachi opened the door and stepped out of the car.

He walked toward them, one hand shielding his face from the drizzle. "Shirogane, is it true? You actually caught the guy?" he asked, and hastily added, "Uh, not that I didn't think you could!"

Naoto's expression stayed neutral, but Kanji caught the sudden tension in her shoulders. "I would hope not, Adachi-san."

"Great work, too. I'm just, uh, kinda surprised you kids found him." Kanji expected more after that - namely a bunch of awkward questions about _how_ they'd found him, and where - but Adachi switched topics. "Hey, you need a ride to the hospital? My car can fit three more."

"Thank you," Naoto said, with a curt nod toward him, then a second at the girls standing beside Kanji. "Rise-chan, Chie-senpai and Yukiko-senpai will accompany you."

Rise frowned. "What about the rest of you? Can't we all just walk together?"

"It will help Souji-senpai if some of us arrive at the hospital with him."

"We should at least take Teddie," Yukiko said softly. Ted was standing alone by the lobby doors, watching as Nanako's ambulance pulled away. Bear had been so quiet, Kanji had almost forgotten he was there.

"Good idea. C'mon, Teddie," Rise called out. "Adachi-san's gonna take us to the hospital. You can squeeze in the back between Chie-senpai and me."

Ted should've made some sort of comment to that, and not a good one - but as he walked over, his gaze stayed fixed on the ambulance. "Okay, Rise-chan."

"… Kanji-kun and I will walk, then." Naoto didn't look at him.

She didn't speak to him, either, not even after Rise and the others had gotten into Adachi's car and driven off. Just opened her umbrella, glanced back at him, then nodded toward the street ahead and started walking. Kanji fell in step beside her, equally silent.

"What if Nanako - -" he started - then stopped, took a deep breath, and tried again. "You think she's gonna be okay, right?"

The question wasn't really directed at anyone; Kanji wasn't sure what had made him say it aloud, other than the need for some sort of reassurance. When she glanced up at him, catching his gaze for a split-second, the flash of guilt in Naoto's eyes was anything but.

* * *

The hospital was no better the second time round.

Dojima was still down on the third floor. Nanako's room was on the fifth - and yet everything looked the same. Long white corridors, stark overhead lighting, cheap plastic chairs lined against the wall. Even the weather was identical to the night she'd been kidnapped, and the atmosphere was just as dismal.

Kanji stared out the window, arms folded. Too dark to see anything besides rivulets of rain, but it was a good excuse not to look at the others. Not that it mattered; they'd all been staring at the walls or floors ever since him and Naoto arrived, and probably well before.

The only one missing was Yosuke, who was getting his arm patched up down in emergency. Teddie had stayed with him for a while - probably sparkled at every nurse he saw until they let him tag along - but left to check on Nanako. He'd already been up here by the time Naoto and Kanji arrived. Bear needn't have bothered; the doctors hadn't explained much of anything, not even to Souji.

But Nanako would be fine, Kanji told himself. She had to be.

"So, uh, Ted," Chie piped up - the latest in her series of attempts to break the silence. "Maybe you can answer this. How come Nanako-chan's other self didn't appear?"

"She's still small, so she probably doesn't have one," Teddie said, soft and resigned. "I think you humans start out fine. You just get messed up later."

Nobody had much to say to that, Chie included. "I - I guess so," she whispered, fidgeting against her seat, then fell quiet.

Back to the same smothering silence. It gave Kanji the sudden, stupid urge to break something.

"This is my fault."

Naoto's voice. He looked at her without thinking, knew it wouldn't have made a difference if he had. "Y'what?"

"I never considered Nanako-chan a potential target, just as I never considered that the culprit might be bringing a television with him each time." Her voice had risen in both speed and pitch. "If I'd been more thorough in putting the facts together, if I'd paid attention, she wouldn't be going through this."

Kanji frowned as he considered his options. Half of him wanted to shake her, because she was beating herself up again and what good was that to Nanako? The other half wanted to give her a hug. Combined, they panicked and opted to stare at the wall instead.

"Hey, it's not all bad! At least you didn't start whaling on your friends, right?" Chie was trying to keep her voice light. It came off as slightly hysterical.

"You weren't the only one," Yukiko said, with a fleeting glance at Souji.

Chie gave a single, sharp shake of her head. "I - that light he used, I couldn't even _think_ anymore, and I- -"

Leaning closer, Yukiko twined their hands together, so deftly Kanji almost didn't notice.

"And I couldn't do anything to stop you," Rise added. She'd started tugging at a stray lock of hair, twirling it around her fingers. "I could hear all of you, but I couldn't get you to listen."

Hell, where would this end? Did they expect Kanji to join in? He wished they'd done more for Nanako, that they'd gotten to her sooner, that she'd never been kidnapped at all - but regrets wouldn't do shit to help her now. All they did was make a bad atmosphere worse. Why wasn't everyone pulling together on this? Souji could've made them, would've usually, but all he'd done for the past half-hour was stare at the door to Nanako's room.

Kanji glared at his shoes, frown deepening, and tried to ignore the cold lump in the pit of his stomach.

But Naoto just kept going. "Why did I waste time listening to what Namatame had to say? We should have rescued Nanako-chan weeks ago, and still I delayed it further! If - if we'd helped her immediately, this wouldn't have happened!"

Nothing about that sounded right. Not the quavering pitch, not the tremble in her voice, and not the idea that Naoto would ever go to pieces over anything. She didn't do that. She _couldn't_ do that.

Kanji grit his teeth.

"It's nobody's fault," Souji said flatly.

"But…" Naoto gulped, drew a shuddering breath, "I-I still…"

Any of the girls could've started bawling, or Teddie, or even Yosuke. Hell, Kanji expected it from most of them, sooner or later. But not Naoto.

He finally broke. "Alright. Enough of this pity party!"

Chie looked both confused and insulted. "Hey now, that's kinda-"

"No, listen up. Why the hell are we standin' around whining?" he snapped - scared and pissed-off and a bunch of other things he couldn't hope to untangle. "Feeling pathetic, consoling each other - that gonna solve anything? We gotta believe in Nanako-chan!"

Naoto stared at him, grey eyes wide. He couldn't remember turning to face her.

"So just - stop rehashing what's already done. Get it together, Naoto!"

Shit, he might've overstepped the mark. But this was Naoto. She could handle it, and she'd do the same for him.

She blinked at him, momentarily frozen - then dropped her gaze to the tiled floor. "…S-Sorry. You're absolutely right."

It still didn't sound like Naoto, and her mouth quivered until she bit her lower lip to stop it - but Kanji would take what he could get. "This is all that bastard Namatame's fault. Nobody else's." He'd barely noticed his tone soften. "And it ain't like we were too late."

Naoto gave a stiff nod, raised one hand to clutch her opposite shoulder - and that was that, Kanji decided, he was just gonna hug her, wasn't like she'd hit him _that_ hard - until he remembered the five other people in the corridor. Five people who were all quietly staring holes in him.

Rise, always happy to fill up a silence, leapt to his rescue. "Wow, Kanji-kun…you sounded cool for a second there!"

"Wh-whaddya mean, a _second_?" he shot back, hoping he wasn't as red as he felt.

Souji stood and turned to face them. "Kanji's right. We brought Nanako back, and now we just have to be there for her. All of us."

"Don't worry, partner. We're gonna be." Yosuke walked round the corner, from the corridor that led back to the elevators - his injured arm now in a sling.

Chie shot up from her chair, took two steps toward him, then apparently thought better of it. "So, uh, how's the arm?" she asked, forcing another smile. "Hope you didn't tell them I did it."

"I told you twice already," Yosuke said quietly. "It's fine."

"You guys still here?"

"Adachi-san," Naoto said. Her voice was now perfectly level. "The doctors haven't told us anything."

"Dojima-san's speaking with them now downstairs," Adachi explained. "They were still there when I left, but they said they want to run more tests on her - and on Namatame."

"Dunno why they're bothering," Kanji muttered.

Adachi shrugged. "They need to figure out what's wrong. The way he is right now, we'll never hear his story."

Honestly, Adachi was kind of annoying. Even more so when he was right. Kanji scowled, and didn't point out that if it'd been left up to the Inaba police force, nobody would be hearing from Namatame at all.

"Look, it's getting late. Staying here all night won't do anyone any good. You got someone to go home with, Seta?"

"Yeah, he does," Yosuke quickly answered, not looking at Souji.

Souji turned away, shoulders slumped, as if his own weight was too much to carry. "…I want to see Nanako again first. I'll meet you downstairs."

With a quick nod, Yosuke wrapped his good arm around Teddie's back and ushered him down the corridor. The rest of the team followed them to the elevators in silence.

Down in the lobby, they filtered into ones and twos - Yosuke and Ted hovering near the hospital exit, Chie and Yukiko hand-in-hand and talking near reception, Rise perched alone on one of the beige plastic seats. No Naoto, though Kanji remembered seeing her in the elevator.

He flopped down in a chair and stretched out his aching legs. He'd been too wired to notice anything beyond general soreness - but the fall from the dais had been one hell of a drop, and now his neck and shoulders had begun to throb. Eyes closed, he leaned his head back against the wall behind him and tried to tune everyone out.

"Hey, Tatsumi."

Kanji wasn't exactly asleep, but he had no clue how long he'd been sitting there, only that he'd like to keep doing it. He didn't open his eyes until a shoe tapped against his leg. "…What?"

"Time to go home, dude," Yosuke said. "You can walk Rise back, right?"

Blinking, Kanji sat up and glanced around the lobby. Chie and Yukiko must've left already. Souji was standing next to Teddie by the glass doors, one arm round the blonde boy's shoulders. "Sure." He tipped his head toward Souji. "What 'bout Souji-senpai?"

"It's cool, me and Ted are gonna go with him, stay overnight at his uncle's place."

"Good. Keep an eye on him."

"Not like I'm gonna sleep instead. Man, this still hurts," he muttered, tugging at the sling with his good hand. "Later, Kanji."

They walked out the sliding doors in a row - Ted in the middle, Yosuke and Souji either side. Despite everything else, it felt good to know that for once Senpai wasn't heading back to an empty house. Nobody should have to do that right now, Kanji thought - then paused.

Souji had Yosuke and Ted. Chie and Yukiko had their families, Rise had her grandmother - and though Kanji didn't expect Ma to be awake this time of night, knowing she was there made a difference. Naoto didn't have anyone, not in Inaba.

Kanji hesitated a moment longer - then stood up and walked over to Rise.

He was two steps away when she lifted her head. "Hey, Kanji-kun. Are we heading out?"

"Soon. Where's Naoto? She leave already?"

"Nope. She said she wanted some coffee." Rise nodded down the corridor to her left, just past the empty reception desk. "I think she went to that machine we passed on the way out here. You wanna talk to her?"

"Yeah," Kanji said, and resolved to ignore the slight smirk that tugged at Rise's lips. "Be right back."

He strode down the corridor and rounded the corner to the elevators. Naoto was standing by the machine, opening her can of coffee. At the sound of footsteps, she glanced in his direction, but averted her eyes as he walked closer.

He nodded at the can in her hand. "S'gonna keep you awake."

"Which is entirely the purpose." She took a sip. "I have an hour's walk ahead of me."

Didn't sound anything like she had upstairs. Didn't sound right, either. "You, uh, feeling okay?"

She shrugged. The motion looked anything but casual. "Bruised. Tired."

"No wonder. You went down hard."

"You've suffered worse," Naoto said, somehow sounding both resigned and exasperated. "A Gigas broke your jaw."

"Didn't try takin' on three people by myself," Kanji pointed out, immediately wishing he hadn't. Wasn't like she'd had any other choice.

"Please spare me your reproval, Kanji-kun." Her glare was directed somewhere past his right elbow. "Is there any other reason you wish to speak with me?"

He was tired, Rise was waiting for him back in the lobby, and walking away seemed like the smartest option - but even Souji hadn't left alone. "Back upstairs," he started, one hand moving to the back of his neck. "That stuff I said. Sorry if I was a dick."

Naoto's gaze softened a fraction. "It needed to be said." A pause. "Have the others left?"

"Yeah, 'cept Rise. Gonna walk her home."

"And Souji-senpai?"

"Yosuke and Ted went with him."

Naoto looked like she wanted to say something to that. There was a moment's silence before she settled on, "Their company will help."

Kanji gave a stiff nod, jaw tensed. "Yeah. Look, I - I'm goin' back with Rise anyway. I - don't mind walkin' with you to your place too."

The reply was smooth and instant. "No, thank you. It's fine. I should leave now." Naoto tried to walk past, stepping between him and the corridor wall - and almost slammed into the arm he'd used to block the gap.

She blinked up at him in confusion. Kanji lowered his arm but held her gaze.

Maybe it was down to exhaustion, but wrenching the words out was harder than ever. He took a deep breath. "If - if you wanna talk sometime, I'm - -"

"That won't be necessary. Goodnight." With that, Naoto walked past him and down the corridor, each step a sharp echo against the tiled floor.

* * *

If Rise was wondering why Naoto had left before them - or exactly what new way Kanji had found to piss off the Detective Prince - she was kind enough not to mention it. She seemed too tired and fractured to talk at all, and they made it back to the shopping district without exchanging more than a couple of sentences; something that would've disturbed Kanji if he hadn't been half asleep himself.

The rain had eased off, though the cold night wind still bit at his cheeks. As they walked past the dark Moel garage, he made a mental note to bring his winter coat the next time they did this - then remembered there wouldn't be one.

"I could hear them," Rise said - taut, like she had to force out the words. "I-I couldn't talk to them, but I could hear. They wanted to hurt him."

The fight with Namatame. With everything that had happened in the hospital, all the worry over Nanako, the team had managed to ignore the big white elephant in the room: the fact that more than half of them had tried to take Souji out.

But none of them had really wanted to, right? Kanji had been caught before - magic that filled your gut with white-hot fury, a Shadow whacking you so hard you couldn't think straight - and it'd never meant anything. "Why would they wanna do that?"

The question went unanswered. "It wasn't their fault. Namatame just latched on to whatever he could."

"Just a stupid spell. You've seen Shadows pull that crap before."

"Not like this." Rise's voice was almost a whisper. "I just wish I could'v don't know, Kanji-kun, maybe Himiko isn't good enough. Yukiko-senpai's and Chie-senpai's Personas changed, got stronger, but mine's still the same."

"So's Take-Mikazuchi. Don't mean anything bad," Kanji insisted. Admittedly, he'd briefly wondered the same thing - until Take-Mikazuchi had rumbled at him to quit fussing over nothing. "And yours is fine as she is."

Rise shook her head. "I couldn't get them to _listen_."

They were outside the tofu shop, the store itself in darkness but with one upstairs window casting light into the street. Rise would need to spin a few grandma-pleasing stories. Kanji turned, opened his mouth to wish her luck - and barely stifled a yelp as she threw her arms around his midriff, burying her head against his shirt.

…Rise was his friend, he reminded himself. Rise dealt with life via hugs. Rise was gonna finish up in a moment, ideally before she crushed his ribs. Kanji patted her on the arm and hoped for the best.

Chin tilted up, she managed a watery smile. "You know that isn't comforting at all, right?" she teased as she broke away. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kanji-kun. We can go get lunch at Aiya."

"Sure. Later, Rise." He watched her open the store door and step inside, then walked the short distance to Tatsumi Textiles.

He'd been hoping all the windows would be dark. Unfortunately, his luck tonight matched Rise's; he could see through the ground floor windows that a light was still on inside the shop. Crap. Ma never usually stayed awake this late. Had she been waiting up for him?

With a deep breath, Kanji pulled his key out of his pocket, went to insert it in the lock - and almost fell back into the street when his mother pushed open the door.

"Kanji-chan, it's past midnight!" she scolded, shooing him indoors. "And why were you out at this hour with Kujikawa's granddaughter?"

Mothers, Kanji reflected, had scarily good eyesight. Or a sixth sense. "S-Sorry, Ma…she just needed somebody to walk her home."

Ma said nothing at first - just looked at him, like she expected him to keep going. "Well…that was very kind of you," she finally said, though it was almost a sigh. Her eyes creased with concern. "You've been coming home so late recently."

_None of your business_, he almost bit back - except it always had been, no matter how much of a fuss he'd kicked up. Ma had made it her business to stick by him. He thought of Souji, whose parents had palmed him off on an uncle he'd only once met; Naoto, who'd lost both of hers and fallen to her grandfather by default; and his own father, five years dead and already fading from his memory.

He took a deep breath. "I know. Ain't gonna be a problem now."

Ma stepped forward to rest a hand against his left biceps. "Is everything all right, dear?"

Kanji looked at her, then away. Swallowed, fists clenched - then swept her into a hug, almost lifting her off the floor.

Shit, he should've warned her first, he'd probably surprised the hell out of her - but then, this was Ma, so maybe he hadn't. Either way, she didn't question it. Kanji was more grateful for that than he knew how to say.

When he broke the hug off moments later, she just smiled and patted him on the arm again. "…I think we both need a good night's rest. Don't stay up too late."

His eyes had started prickling. Kanji quickly turned away. "I-I told you, quit tellin' me what to do."

* * *

Turned out a _good night's rest_ wasn't an option. Too wired and sore to sleep, Kanji couldn't do much more than doze, and even that was regularly interrupted by sudden bouts of panic - the conviction that they hadn't made it before the fog, or that they _had_, and yet they'd still been too late.

Stupid. Yosuke had promised he'd call everyone if - if anything changed. Kanji's phone had buzzed with text messages three times in the past half-hour, but there'd been no calls and no voice mails. Was probably just Rise. She'd sent the first one - a long, weirdly-punctuated lament about how she was now grounded for life and was going to end her days wearing a tofu shop apron - and nobody else Kanji knew was half as much in love with texting.

His phone buzzed against the sewing table again. Maybe Rise couldn't sleep either. He thought briefly about answering, then thought better of it and flopped over onto his stomach instead, laying his chin on his forearms and listening to the rain pattering against the shop's old tiled roof. Wasn't much more than a drizzle. It fit his mood. And if he felt like this, how the hell was Souji coping?

Now he'd had time to think - more than he wanted - he knew Rise was right. The others _had_ been trying to hurt Souji; Namatame had just amplified what they already felt. And it wasn't their fault. Kanji looked up to Souji, almost worshiped him - but he could still remember several occasions when he'd been so angry at Senpai he almost couldn't speak, and too many more where he'd been sour with envy.

But what was the point in dwelling on it? Souji was gonna need the whole team now, even more than Nanako did. And that meant Kanji wasn't gonna whine, or cry, or any of that shit - not because it'd make him less of a man but because it wouldn't help either of them. He'd save his energy for the stuff that could. They'd visit Nanako, keep Senpai company, make sure that bastard Namatame got what was coming to him.

Kanji rolled onto his back again, stretched out his arms behind his head and focused on the rain, hoping the sound might lull him to sleep - then noticed that wasn't the only thing he could hear. A weird, hollow tapping noise had started up. _Tink. Tink_. It was coming from his bedroom window, as if something was hitting the glass.

He stood up, walked across the room and peered through the window - at the same instant another pebble ricocheted off the surface.

Somebody was in the street below. Somebody who was standing under an umbrella and clearly demanding an ass-kicking. Kanji was tempted to oblige, until the person tipped the umbrella aside and drew their arm back for another shot.

Exhaustion. It was making him hallucinate. Had to be - because there was no sensible reason why Naoto Shirogane would be in the shopping district, at three in the morning, throwing rocks at his window. Kanji rubbed his hand over his eyes, took a deep breath, looked out the window again. Naoto was still there. Meaning she'd genuinely walked halfway across town in the dark then started lobbing stuff at his house: two very non-Naoto actions. Meaning something was wrong.

He pulled on his black jeans and the first long-sleeve shirt he could find, crept downstairs, and unlocked the shop door. Naoto must've heard him fiddling with the catch, because he opened the door to find her standing under the awning, umbrella now closed.

He frowned down at her. "I got a phone, y'know."

"Which I texted," Naoto shot back, a little petulantly. "Three times."

"Why didn't you just call?"

"Why were you ignoring your phone?"

"I didn't know you'd be outside freezing your ass off!" Kanji snapped, with a quick swipe of his hand toward the street. "The hell're you doin' out here anyway?"

Naoto's expression shifted. She straightened her back, the motion stilted. "I...wanted to talk."

"Oh. Right." He felt suddenly light-headed - and out of his depth. "S-Sure, go for it."

Impulsive as the offer had been, he'd honestly meant it; he'd just never expected her to take it up. Kanji swallowed in an effort to steel himself, and waited for her speak.

An uncomfortably long time passed before she did. "My apartment's empty."

He nodded. "…Yeah."

"And I wanted to talk," Naoto repeated, as if trying to convince herself. Her foot started tapping against the ground. "This - none of this needed to happen, I shouldn't have _let_ it happen."

"C'mon, don't start that again." He tipped his head, trying to gauge her expression. "You went home and stewed over all this crap, didn't you?"

Naoto didn't answer.

He grimaced. "Dammit, Naoto…you need t'get some sleep. You can't keep - -"

"I don't want to go back," she interrupted. "To my apartment, I mean. I-I don't want to be- -" She cut the sentence short with a quick shake of her head.

"You ain't." Kanji wanted more than anything for her to believe him. "Not anymore."

"That's the problem." Naoto pulled off her damp-looking cap and ran a hand through her hair. "It - it isn't worth it. They all leave anyway. Nanako-chan, she's- -"

"She's fine. She's gonna be fine."

Naoto finally raised her eyes to meet his, but quickly turned her head away. She didn't look convinced. He couldn't blame her.

He shifted in the doorway, one hand gripping the wooden frame. "Look, just - come inside or something, yeah? You can dry off." Even with the umbrella, her school jacket was still splashed with rain, and small droplets were clinging to her hair.

"I wouldn't want to wake your mother." Naoto paused, biting her bottom lip and wincing as her teeth grazed the cut. "Would - I, I intend to go to the shrine, y-you could - -"

Kanji didn't wait for her to finish. "Lemme get my coat."

* * *

Even in the lamplight, it was clear the shrine had seen better days. Tiles were missing from the roof, and weeds had grown between the flagstones and curled up around the posts of the torii. No wonder; the offertory box looked almost empty, and there were only four or five ema hanging on the wall above it. Naoto was standing at the top of the steps, studying them.

Kanji stretched his legs out and shuffled against the top step. Wasn't comfortable, but there was nowhere else to sit that was sheltered from the drizzle. "My ma's probably got a couple of blank ema at home," he said, rubbing his hands together for warmth. "If you wanna leave one."

"I don't usually believe in that sort of thing."

He wasn't sure he did either. Last time he'd visited this place had been with Ma, on the first anniversary of his dad's death. She'd said Kanji could write whatever he wanted on his ema; she wouldn't look. So he'd wished for the obvious, and hadn't gotten it. And to an ten-year old kid, what was the point in trying again after that?

Maybe he'd come back and leave one for Nanako anyway.

Naoto sat down next to him on the steps. She drew her knees up to her front and rested her elbows on top of them, shivering slightly in the cold.

She hadn't said much at all since they left the shop. So much for wanting to talk, Kanji thought, then decided that was unfair. Even when you needed to vent, when you had more stuff inside you than you could handle, there was a big difference between wanting to voice it and actually being able to do so. He knew that from experience. What he didn't know was how to reconcile the two.

Damn, Naoto had made a bad choice.

"You coulda called one of the others," he said, without thinking.

"They didn't offer." She stiffened slightly. "If I disturbed you, then-"

"'Course you didn't, dammit!" He looked away. "But Souji-senpai would've - -"

"Senpai has more than enough to deal with right now."

What Naoto needed, Kanji knew, was someone different; someone who knew the right words and the right order to put them in and the right voice to say them with. At any other time, that would've been Souji. No matter how much Kanji might've disliked it.

"He - he'd be there for you if he could. He was for me," Kanji insisted. "Just…y'know. Everything that's happened."

"Exactly." Naoto's voice wavered on that one word. "I-I must take responsibility. I have made these mistakes before and _I__ didn't__ learn._"

"Mistakes?"

"Procrastination. Hubris. Treating the case as a game of chess, another culprit to outwit." She closed her eyes and pushed her palm hard against her forehead. "Another notch on my record. And now Nanako-chan is paying the price for my inattention."

He couldn't stifle an aggravated grunt. "Naoto, Nanako was never even on TV, none of us coulda known she'd be taken."

"_I_ could. I have only one reason to be in this town and yet I still haven't - -"

Kanji swiveled to face her. "You got more reasons now, alright?"

He'd spoken purely on impulse - and Naoto's confused, wide-eyed glance made him turn away. "N-Nanako's one of them, so's Souji-senpai," he quickly added, ignoring the blood he could feel rushing to his cheeks. "And - and there's people who want you to stay."

Silence. Naoto was staring into the rain, expression rigid and blank.

She sat upright a few long moments later, lowered her feet to the step below, and took a deep breath. "The only thing I had to offer you all was my ability as a detective. The _detective prince_," she muttered, almost spitting the words. "What use did that prove?"

"Dammit, you ain't listening!" Frustrated, Kanji smacked his palm against his left knee. "We all care 'bout Nanako-chan - but Yosuke, Ted, all of them, you think they're breaking their backs over shit they can't change? The hell do you get outta this?"

The glare Naoto shot him could laser a hole in concrete. "You don't understand," she said, her voice thick. "I was supposed to finish all this months ago, and I failed."

Exasperation, worry, anger...everything was coiling in his stomach all at once. He swallowed hard before continuing, trying to calm himself. "This ain't only about you," he said, firm but careful. "Let it go."

"I _can't_," she blurted. "What you said in the hospital, you were _right_ - b-but I can't just…"

"I meant we all had to be strong _together_. None of us have to t'do everything alone."

Naoto looked at him - not a glare this time, something undisguised and painfully vulnerable - then stared at her hands clamped over her knees. It took him a couple of seconds to realize they were trembling.

He'd yelled at her earlier because they all had to keep their shit together, because they couldn't go to pieces in a hospital corridor - and because part of him had just been terrified to see her choke. She'd been grateful. Kanji still wondered who he'd really been trying to help.

He glanced back at her. Naoto had raised one arm to cover her face, left sleeve pressed against her eyes.

Kanji looked away again, his throat suddenly tight. He lifted his hand, hesitated - then laid it on her far shoulder, expecting her to flinch away. She didn't.

Her breath was hitching slightly; a tight, fighting sound that made his chest ache. Gut instinct told him that she didn't want him to say anything; didn't even want the acknowledgement that she was crying, not when she was trying so hard to stop. He stayed silent, his thumb rubbing small circles against the fabric of her jacket.

Naoto might be right: either people kept leaving her, or she kept leaving them. But not this time.

She calmed down sooner than he'd expected. Probably sooner than she needed. Kanji's eyes were stinging too now, for no damn good reason. He focused his attention on the rain pattering against the shrine roof and the sound of their breath: his almost silent, hers still rough and unsteady.

"Sorry." Naoto wiped her hand over her face. "I - I'm just tired."

He was still holding her opposite shoulder. Had she noticed? No way she couldn't, Kanji thought - then remembered there were a _lot_ of things Naoto didn't notice. "Yeah, me too."

"Then you ought to be sleeping, not sitting outside in the dark." She managed a faint, uneasy sort of half-smile. "I apologize for dragging you here."

Kanji swallowed. "Naoto, I- -"

Naoto stared at him, eyes still red-rimmed and cheeks tinged pink under the lamplight. Her muscles tensed beneath his hand.

He'd expected to sound stupid, to not have enough words to hold everything he wanted to say. The problem was that he couldn't find any words at all.

Tonight was the worst time to put them both on the spot. Kanji looked away, knowing he was blushing and not caring. "I-I'm glad y'came over," he said instead, and gripped her shoulder a little more tightly.


	30. Interlude 7

_A/N: Since I can't message them - a quick thank you to the people who commented last time but aren't registered on this site. Appreciated your comments and ideas nonetheless. (Same goes for all reviewers, of course, but I try to respond to each of you individually)_

_Story so far: The team defeated Namatame, but were left struggling with the aftermath - which, for Kanji, meant an unexpected and very oddly timed visit from Naoto._

_In this part: Naoto's night does not improve - but at least there's always Featherman._

* * *

Returning to her apartment was the smart course of action. Never leaving it in the first place would have been a smarter choice still.

Naoto had begun to tell herself this as she left the shrine, continued doing so after Kanji persuaded her to walk the short distance to Tatsumi Textiles - and, as she watched him mutter curses and fumble with the shop's locked door, wished she could actually believe it.

The lock finally clicked. Kanji pulled open the door and glanced over his shoulder. "You're gonna come in, yeah?"

She stared at him, knuckles white around the handle of her raised umbrella.

Go home. She would go home.

Unfortunately, Sukuna-Hikona did not agree. An insufferable buzzing began in the back of Naoto's mind, all revolving around how she had walked over here in the middle of the night already exhausted and was in no fit shape to walk back again. Naoto wondered if her Persona had been responsible for her coming here to start with - then realized Kanji was now staring at her and waiting for an answer. She gave a slight nod.

Kanji broke into a nervous grin, his relief palpable. Preferring not to consider the reasons why, she closed her umbrella and followed him into the store. Despite the darkness inside, he strode to the back of the shop without trouble and switched on the overhead lighting. Naoto's eyes were still sore from when she'd been- -from earlier, and they took a moment to adjust to the light.

This was her fourth visit to Tatsumi Textiles, more than enough to construct an accurate image of its layout. As she placed her umbrella in the stand, she subconsciously ticked off items in her mental catalogue: the display tables covered in blue cloth, the shelves and racks of fabric against the right wall, the hats and scarves hanging from pegs on the left. Everything was as she remembered - except for the shelf of stuffed and knitted animals barely visible behind one of the tables.

When Kanji had first told her about his sewing hobby - or rather, she'd hassled him into honesty - he'd requested she keep his secret. Naoto had obliged, and yet a month later the dolls were on open display in his mother's shop. Something had clearly changed.

"You - I, uh, I can get a towel." At the sound of his voice, Naoto looked over to Kanji. He gestured to the door at the back of the shop. "So you can get dry."

The drizzle was still falling outside. Drying herself off prior to walking home in the rain would be pointless. Coming here had been and continued to be pointless.

Naoto had just opened her mouth to speak (absolute refusal was the only sensible course) when the rear door opened. Since Kanji was standing in front of it, she couldn't see who'd walked through, but the voice made it immediately clear. "Kanji-chan, what on earth are you doing still up?"

Kanji pivoted. "S-sorry, Ma, I was - Naoto and me went out, s'all."

"Naoto-kun too?" Tatsumi-san peered around her son and met Naoto's eye. "It's far too late for you both to be wandering about."

"Ah. Tatsumi-san." Naoto tipped into an abrupt bow. "I sincerely apologize for the disturbance, I was just on my way- -"

"Home? At this time of night and in this weather?" Tatsumi-san clucked, ushering Kanji aside. "Don't be silly."

"B-but I-"

Her expression was gentle yet reproachful, a mixture that made Naoto feel like a five-year-old. "I can't imagine why you were out there to begin with! You boys have no common sense." She turned to Kanji. "Kanji-chan, go pull out the spare bedding. Naoto-kun, do you need to let your parents know where you are?"

A vague sense of panic had set in. Naoto floundered. "No, th-they aren't- -Tatsumi-san, I truly appreciate your generosity, but I - I -" _Think, Shirogane!_ "I - don't have any bedclothes. S-so of course, I must return to - "

As excuses went, it was terrible. Tatsumi-san remained unfazed. "Oh, Kanji-chan has plenty of pyjama sets." She looked Naoto up and down. "They'll be quite big on you, but it's only one night. Now, let's go upstairs, hmm?"

Naoto could devise another, better excuse. Dozens of them. But for all her lack of social understanding, she'd been raised with good manners. Genuinely refusing such an offer would be impolite…and even when Tatsumi-san had been scolding them, her eyes had looked kind. Kanji's own incongruous gentleness now made far more sense; an observation Naoto immediately shoved aside in favour of nodding and following Tatsumi-san up to the second floor.

Kanji was standing at the top of the stairs, clutching a stack of folded bedding and taking up most of the narrow hallway. "Where am I puttin' this?"

Tatsumi-san waved at the door immediately to her left. "Your room, dear."

Naoto blinked.

Kanji, ashen-faced and wide-eyed, appeared in danger of passing out. "My-my room?"

"Yes. You boys can share, can't you?"

After two abortive attempts at forming sentences, Naoto settled for the most eloquent response she could manage. "N-nonothat'snot - I'm- -"

"Naoto snores," Kanji blurted. "Bad. Like, rattling the windows."

This was a _complete_ lie. Naoto almost launched into an instinctive denial, before she realized that Kanji's mother appeared to be taking him at his word.

"Well, you'd better use the spare room, then," Tatsumi-san said, with a quiet sigh and a dubious expression. "Though it isn't as tidy as I'd like."

"I-I'll take care of it tomorrow," Kanji stammered. He made a sharp gesture toward the end of the hallway. "Go to bed, yeah?"

She slowly shook her head, an oddly indulgent smile playing over her lips. "Very well. Goodnight, dear. Sleep well, Naoto-kun," she added, then turned and walked down the hall, Kanji and Naoto both watching in silence.

It wasn't until the door to Tatsumi-san's room clicked shut that Naoto rounded on Kanji and leveled him with the sternest glare she could muster. "I do_ not_ snore."

"S-sorry. Hadta think quick," he said, voice low. He shifted the blankets and sheets under one arm, freeing the other to open the door to Naoto's right. "She doesn't know you're - - y'know."

Exactly _how_ Kanji's mother didn't know was a mystery that even Naoto couldn't fathom. Anyone running a small-town shop had to be privy to the rumour mill. Perhaps Tatsumi-san simply chose to believe what was easiest; precisely the attitude that had enabled Naoto to convince so many people for so long.

She shrugged her shoulders in an effort to relieve their tension. "I assume she'd be offended if I left."

"Prob'ly." Still standing in the doorway of the spare room, Kanji had fixed his gaze on what seemed to be a fascinating spot on the opposite wall. "And…I-I don't think y'should, anyway."

Naoto's stomach did a flip worthy of a gymnast. She glared at his socked feet. "…Why?"

Silence. An uncomfortably long one. Naoto refused to look up, but imagining his flustered expression was no challenge - except for the fact that she shouldn't be imagining Kanji Tatsumi at all. She tugged down the brim of her cap, simultaneously frustrated at the flare of heat across her face and grateful that Kanji's feet were unlikely to notice it.

Finally, he found a response. "Well…y-you ain't slept all night, dammit, and it's still raining. Don't worry, Ma won't bother you, I won't either - uh, n-not that I'd- -"

"Of course not," Naoto cut in.

"Yeah." He stepped inside the room, put down the bedding, and opened a cupboard on the far wall. "Lemme get this set up."

It was a task she could have easily performed alone. She wanted to tell Kanji as much, but swallowed the impulse; she was a guest. There were certain behaviours she needed to follow. He might take offence if she intervened in his preparations, improbable a prospect as that seemed.

Besides, he was being very thorough. Naoto had grown accustomed to sleeping on Western-style beds during her travels and chose to continue the trend in her Inaba apartment, but watching Kanji lay out the mattress and futon reminded her of earlier years spent living at her grandfather's estate. She'd made only brief visits there after turning thirteen; the heavy caseload she'd taken on since then precluded unnecessary distractions.

…Kanji was unnecessary. And very distracting.

The bedding assembled, he stood up. "Done. You need anything else?"

At some point, Naoto had begun biting her lip. It seemed suddenly important to say…_something_. "Kanji - -"

He frowned down at her, grey eyes wary. "What?"

Tired. She was tired, and emotional, and a hundred other things a professional detective had no business being. She cleared her throat. "You're supposed to lend me pyjamas."

"Oh! Right. Wait here a sec." He walked out into the hallway and opened his bedroom's door.

Not wanting to pry - or at least not wanting Kanji to catch her doing so - Naoto perched on a wooden chair in the corner of the room and rested her elbows on her thighs.

This entire night had been horribly disorientating. The shrine, most of all. Why had she asked Kanji to accompany her? If she'd gone there alone, nobody would have seen that she'd - - how tired she'd been, and was, and how perhaps such tiredness could make people behave in ways they normally didn't. Unprofessional ways which no-one else ought to witness. But Kanji had seemed like the best choice; the one person other than Souji whom Naoto could trust not to judge her. More than that, he was- -

Naoto sat up and ran her hand over her face. She was sleep-deprived. Everything would make sense in the morning.

"Uh. I got 'em." Kanji walked back in the room and practically threw at her whatever he'd been holding.

She looked down, inspecting the bundle that had landed in her lap. Pyjamas, as expected. Naoto hadn't, however, anticipated the bunny rabbits. White ones, hopping across the blue fabric of the shirt and pants - both of which looked far too big. But Kanji had over thirty centimeters and at least as many kilos on her; any clothes he could provide would make her Shadow's lab-coat appear custom-tailored.

"Oh. Thank you," she said.

For some reason, Kanji did not appreciate the response. "Don't laugh, alright?" he muttered, folding his arms and shooting an irritated glare at the futon. "S'hard to find stuff that fits me an' I had the fabric anyway an' I figured you like blue and - -"

"No, it's the size. They're too large, I'll look ridiculous."

"No you won't," Kanji blurted, then flushed a spectacular shade of red. "I-I mean, they're - just pyjamas."

…This was intolerable. Trapped in someone else's house, being forced to borrow his clothing, when just being around him inexplicably made you feel secure and uncomfortable at the same time and didn't that mean- -

Naoto shot up from the chair, pyjamas clutched to her chest. "I-I appreciate the loan, nonetheless."

"S'fine. I-I don't wear that stuff often anyway. Shorts and t-shirts are easier and- " Midway through recounting his choice of bedroom attire, Kanji stopped short and attacked his hair with one hand. "Uh, yeah! So thass cool. G'night." With that, he turned to leave.

"Kanji-kun, wait."

He stopped in the doorway and turned halfway, one hand gripping the frame. "…Yeah?"

There were many possible responses here, such as _please assist me in escaping out the window _or _I preferred my empty apartment to your insane mother - _but Naoto, exhausted and resigned to her fate, settled on the simplest. "Um...thank you. For - for earlier."

Kanji gave a strange sort of smile; nervous and pleased and awkward, all at once. "S'nothing," he mumbled, and left the room.

* * *

_The floor was littered with bodies. Corpses. An investigation was therefore required._

_Naoto stepped carefully around the first (face-down, silver-grey hair soaked scarlet) while keeping a careful eye on the second and third (small, a child in a stained pink dress; long-limbed, metal piercings barely visible under blood). _

_There were others, too (four, five, six) but they were dangling in the air like puppets. Two of them were clutching broken corpses of their own. Presumably they were conducting separate investigations. Naoto raised her hand to tip her cap - a sign to them that she would not interfere - and realized she was still holding her revolver._

_The grip felt warm. The barrel was still too hot to touch. She opened the chamber; three bullets were missing._

_Something sharp and terrible seared through her chest, as if a spike had been driven clean through. _

_Why had she -_

_Seta. He'd deserved it. Seta was everything: competent, calm, charismatic. Controlled. Naoto's sudden flare of anger almost - almost - overwhelmed the guilt. Seta had no Shadow, Seta had never been unraveled in front of his peers, Seta had - - been trying to help her.  
_

_Unwilling to look at him any longer - and equally desperate not to acknowledge the other two bodies at all - Naoto turned around. _

_There were two figures behind her (footsteps, she should have listened for footsteps). Both were vague and shapeless, but as the fog cleared and the smell of scorched flesh filled the air, they somehow became achingly familiar. Her mother and father. They could fix this. _

_...But why were they burning?_

_Of course. The car had caught fire after the crash. Careless of her not to remember, when she'd enacted the scene so many times in her head. _

_Head spinning, Naoto tried to focus on each of them in turn, uncertain whether they were burned beyond recognition or she could simply no longer remember their faces. The one on her left - her mother? - was the first to speak. **You failed, Naoto.**_

_Naoto's throat felt impossibly tight. Why had she failed? Where had the fault occurred? She could untangle and trace back the threads, isolate the most significant factors – procrastination, distraction with trivialities, her pathetic attempts to ally herself with others -  
_

_- -But in the end, they all led back to the same conclusion._

_Her father - shriveled flesh on scorched bones - gripped her shoulders, and his fingers seared through her uniform. **You were never good enough**._

_The barrel of the revolver was still too hot, burning metal pressed against her right temple. Naoto stared up at her father, her finger on the trigger, and -_

* * *

She couldn't move. It was unbearably hot, she kept hiccuping and shaking, Sukuna-Hikona was squawking so loud she could hear nothing else - and her limbs refused to move. Disorientated, Naoto took an embarrassing long time to realize she was simply tangled in the blankets.

Her hands were trembling, so disentangling herself completely proved impossible, but she managed to free her arms. She curled up on her side, mind racing - Where was she? Why wasn't she at her apartment? Why was she _still_ hiccuping? - and tried to calm Sukuna-Hikona. She soon realized he was attempting to do the same for her, buzzing answers to her questions: she was at Kanji Tatsumi's house, she'd walked here in the night to talk to him, and the hiccups were actually sobs.

The final answer was accompanied by a sick rush of alarm. Naoto tensed, blinking furiously, and tried to force her breathing under control.

…Why was she crying? Sukuna-Hikona refused to answer, and as vague images of blood and fire flashed through her mind, he grew increasingly panicked.

Clearly she'd been dreaming. More than that, she'd been sobbing in her sleep. Naoto's typical response would have been a harsh self-rebuke - but instead she pressed her palms against her eyes in an attempt to stem the tears. They were finally easing up, a less agitated Sukuna-Hikona possibly aiding the process, when the door to the room creaked open.

She froze, hands still covering her eyes.

"Hey...Naoto." Kanji's voice was rough, low, and unwelcome. "You okay?"

Naoto wasn't sure what was worse: the fact that she was so distressed over a dream she couldn't even remember, or that Kanji would witness her crying twice in one night. Feigning sleep was the best solution - but when another hiccup visibly shook her, she gulped and tried to steady her voice. "F-Fine. Why are you here?"

"Thought I heard somethin', thass all. Don't get fussy."

"G-Go back to bed," she muttered, curling up even tighter. The click of the lamp and creaking of the wooden chair suggested that Kanji had done completely the opposite.

He'd have to leave soon. Unlike his mother, he was under no illusion about Naoto's physical sex, rendering his presence entirely inappropriate. She kept her eyes covered, ignored the tears still leaking from them, and waited for the sound of footsteps.

Almost a full minute passed before he broke the silence. "I-I was dreaming bad stuff earlier." Naoto heard him grunt and shift in his seat. "Hell, the others prob'ly are too. Rough night. So you ain't the only one, right?"

"I w-wasn't," she shot back, but the tremble in her voice made the lie sound absurd even to her. Besides, he deserved better. "I-I mean - I was - but it wasn't that bad."

When Kanji spoke again, after a protracted pause, his voice was even lower. "In my dream, we were all fighting Namatame again. Was like before, everyone gettin' hit by that beam, only Yosuke and Rise got zapped too. Souji-senpai and me had t'take all of you down. Lightning, fire, the whole deal. Except - w-we couldn't get any of you back up afterwards. Nothin' worked." The last part was little more than a choked whisper, and Naoto felt an unfamiliar pang of sympathy. "Senpai, he just kept saying it was all my fault, I'd gone too far. I-I remember tryin' to explain, but he - he wouldn't even look at me. Then…I woke up."

"Oh."

"So, yeah. Shitty dream." Kanji let out a long breath. "Not trying to get you to spill yours, just - - y'know."

...Continuing the conversation with her hands over her eyes would be unproductive. Naoto used them to untangle herself further from the blankets, enabling her to sit up, which left her directly facing Kanji. He didn't meet her gaze. Looking closely, he'd tangled the long sleeves of his t-shirt in his fists.

"I strongly doubt the others blame you for what happened during the battle," she insisted. "I - I don't. You prevented me from -" The sentence stopped short. Her mouth was open but her lips refused to work, until she swallowed and forced herself to finish. "F-From killing Souji-senpai."

"An' you helped me do it, 'cause you didn't wanna hurt him. Not for real." Kanji leaned forward, pressing his palms hard against his knees and drawing her attention to the vivid bruises on his calves. "_Nobody_ did."

Naoto wanted to believe him. But she remembered too well what Namatame's light had done, the white-hot rage and bitter jealousy it had ripped out of her - and despite Sukuna-Hikona's best efforts to hurl them aside, the jumbled images finally clicked into place. This was what she'd been dreaming about. Hating Souji even as he and Kanji and Nanako all lay dead at her feet, _knowing_ it was her fault - and then her parents had- -

The squawking this time was closer to screeching. Naoto clapped her hands over her ears and pressed them hard against her head. Kanji was saying something, she couldn't make out what - and then he was kneeling down opposite her, grey eyes wide with concern.

His unanticipated proximity distracted her and Sukuna-Hikona in equal measure. As her Persona quieted, Naoto dropped her hands to her sides.

Kanji was studying her. "You alright?"

_Fine_, Naoto intended to say. Instead, everything she'd been thinking tumbled out at once. "It's - Souji-senpai, he's - I don't know if I can face him. I've let him down so badly, Kanji, I failed to help Nanako-chan and then I tried to -"

...What was she _doing_? She bit her lip hard and tried to make a mental note to avoid any and all human contact while sleep-deprived, but Sukuna-Hikona kept buzzing in disapproval. "I'm sorry. I'm repeating myself."

"S'okay. And your lip's bleeding again." Before she could respond, Kanji stood up, opened one of the dresser drawers and pulled out a handkerchief. Kneeling down again, he handed it to her.

Naoto pressed it against her lip and managed a muffled, "Thank you."

He shrugged aggressively. "Don't want blood on my pyjamas, thass all."

…Of course. What other reason would there be? Naoto stared down at her borrowed, over-sized shirt, absently counting bunnies - then paused.

As always, she'd taken off her binder to sleep. It was impossible to breathe otherwise. But that meant -

She quickly drew her knees up to her chest and huddled into the blankets.

Kanji frowned at her. "Cold?"

"No. You can go back to your room now."

"S'almost six already. Ain't worth it. Uh, unless you think you could sleep?"

A well-delivered lie would get rid of him. He had no right being here to begin with, especially not when she was stuck in clothing that made her look and feel nothing like herself. She would simply - -

_(don't-fight-always-fighting-always-do-things-we-don't-want)_

Naoto's first mistake was bothering to listen to Sukuna-Hikona. The second was looking Kanji in the eye.

She shook her head.

Kanji responded with a firm nod. "Not worth leavin', then."

Sukuna-Hikona buzzed again, now sounding content; possibly even smug. Naoto let it slide, unwilling to upset him again after such a trying night.

Though the need to calm her Persona was new, she was no stranger to nightmares. In recent years, they'd centered around the more disturbing cases she'd worked on; Kobe in particular. Given her dire performance so far, Inaba risked being added to the list.

The night terrors she'd had as a child after the loss of her parents had been even more intense and frequent. Discordant flashes of an accident she hadn't even witnessed, of her mother and father dying in a tangle of fire and metal - and later on, images of her grandfather's cold disdain if he ever found her out. Detectives - more importantly, Shiroganes - did not wake up shaking and crying from nightmares. Naoto, five years old and already stubborn, had vowed to never tell him.

But Yakushiji's rooms had been directly below her own. The first time he'd heard her sobbing in the small hours of the morning, he'd walked up to her bedroom, sat with her until she'd calmed down to quiet sniffling, then picked one of her Featherman DVDs from its shelf. With the dreams occurring so frequently, this had soon become a ritual; one which she had made Yakushiji promise not to divulge to Grampa. Featherman rangers - and Shiroganes - weren't afraid of anything.

In an absurdly childish moment, Naoto wondered whether the show might be on now.

"The White Kestrel," she muttered.

She'd spoken without thinking. Kanji looked rightfully confused. "Uh?"

Naoto hesitated, but opted for honesty. "A while ago. You - you asked which Featherman ranger I wanted to be. I wanted to be the White Kestrel."

After a brief pause - as if he were seriously evaluating her response - Kanji shrugged. "S'cool. I mean, he was on the wrong side at first, but he got it right in the end. Gave the Red Hawk a run for his money."

...Kanji clearly had more than a passing knowledge of the franchise. Naoto glanced down at her shirt again, briefly debating whether to tell him that Junes sold Featherman pyjamas which were of acceptable quality and very comfortable - then shrank into her blanket, hoping the light was dim enough to hide her blush.

Kanji didn't seem to notice. "Hey…one of the shows might be on right now. It's Sunday, they put all that kinda stuff on early in the morning."

It was a simple, stupid suggestion - there was no point in watching a show made for small children, at least not with witnesses - but something in it caught Naoto's attention, and looking at Kanji suddenly became impossible. "No, it's fine," she insisted. "But I - I appreciate the suggestion."

"Okay." Naoto couldn't gauge his expression, being preoccupied with staring at the floor, but he sounded disappointed.

"We could go downstairs and make tea," she suggested. "I'd - prefer to sit somewhere else."

Kanji's eyes widened, as if he'd just realized exactly where he was, and with whom. He jumped to his feet and backed out the door. "Y-yeah! Good idea. You - uh, I'll go get it started!"

He didn't bother to tread softly. As he crashed downstairs, Naoto wriggled out of the blankets and picked up her folded school uniform, hoping Kanji's mother wasn't a light sleeper.


	31. Chapter 24

_A/N: Longer between chapters than I had hoped. I wish I could say it was all due to Mass Effect 3._

_Story so far: Naoto spent the night in the Tatsumis' spare room, in over-sized bunny pyjamas; a situation Kanji took remarkably well._

_In this part: Naoto tries to bridge the gaps, Chie's collecting bottlecaps - and Kanji, provoked, finally snaps._

_(...I also wish that awful rhyme had been fully intentional)_

* * *

**November**** 20****th****, ****2011 **

Looking back, Kanji was amazed he hadn't hyperventilated - or worse, bled all over the spare room. Sheer exhaustion must've taken the edge off his nervousness. That damn nightmare, too; in retrospect, trying to support Naoto had been as much for his benefit as hers. He'd been a mess straight afterwards, trying and failing to convince himself that the Souji in his dream had everything wrong, until all he'd wanted was to be around someone else, just as a distraction.

The feeling hadn't fully passed. Good thing Rise was on hand.

"I can't eat all this!" She glared first at her bowl of rice and beef, then at Otsuka standing at the opposite end of Aiya's counter. "Otsuka-san's trying to make me fat."

Otsuka waved her off with a snort. "Rainy days always mean more food - and besides, you were skin and bones in that soda advert! Do you good to fill out a little."

"My manager's not gonna see it that way!" Rise paused and looked down at her bowl again. "I mean, he wouldn't have, before. I'm giving half of this to you, Kanji-kun."

"Sure," Kanji mumbled. Rise deserved his attention - going by what she'd said on the way back from the hospital, she must've had a rough night too - but his mind kept drifting elsewhere. Or more precisely, somewhere around six o'clock that morning.

Shit, why had he suggested Featherman? Way to be a five-year-old, Tatsumi. Naoto probably thought he was a idiot. And what had he been thinking, barging in on her? Lying in bed, listening to something that sounded far too much like sobbing, the decision had felt wrenchingly obvious. Eight hours and a mid-morning nap later, it seemed insane. Hell, she'd told him to get lost soon as he walked in the room.

…But she'd seemed calmer afterwards. The raw images from his own nightmare had faded too. He liked to think it'd helped them both.

Something hard hit his elbow. "C'mon, Kanji-kun, are you gonna take some of this or not?"

He glanced down at the bowl Rise was shoving against his arm. "Quit griping," he said, plucking out a beef strip with his chopsticks. "Why's it matter how much you eat if you're not goin' back?"

She shrugged and pulled the bowl back toward her. "Maybe I should keep my options open. You know, now that everything's over. Souji-senpai said he'd- -" The sentence stopped, and she fidgeted against the counter stool. "I-I guess it doesn't matter really. But this is still way too much food."

Idols weren't Kanji's thing. He hadn't even heard of Risette before June. On discovering this, Yosuke - a proud Risetteer - had accused him of living under a rock then given him a flash drive full of MP3s. Kanji had made it through five tracks before giving up. But he had to give Rise some credit; not only did she get fan letters months after quitting, she still practically had her own section in the Junes entertainment department. Whatever she'd been doing, whatever she'd created in Risette, people loved it.

"When y'got back to Inaba," he mumbled between mouthfuls. "I know you had a bunch going on…but did you really wanna quit?"

"Totally. None of it felt right anymore."

"And now you're thinking about doing it all over?" He twirled a thick wad of noodles around his chopsticks. "I don't get it."

"Sometimes things happen that don't make sense," she said, leaning over and dropping another strip of beef in his bowl. "Like Naoto-kun throwing stuff at your window last night."

The noodle-clump wedged itself in his throat.

"And then, both of you wandering off together in the pouring rain!" Rise waggled her eyebrows. "Where'd you go?"

Kanji spluttered unhappily, finally managed to swallow, then snapped, "You were s'posed to be sleeping!"

"I couldn't at first. I didn't fall asleep until after I saw you guys leave." With a quiet sigh, Rise leant forward and rested her chin on her hand. "Honestly, I figured Naoto-kun had finally snapped. Who goes out after midnight to break windows?"

"She wasn't trying to - dammit, don't go spying on us!"

Rise grinned at him. "_Us_?"

Heat rushed to his cheeks. Kanji tried to hide it by growling and viciously attacking his noodles.

She was still staring at him, though. He could feel the smirk, and when she finally spoke again it was almost a relief. "So…did the dashing Detective Prince lure innocent Kan-chan back to her apartment?"

"No, she stayed at -" Kanji stopped and scowled. "Somewhere else, and if you don't wipe that look off your face I am gonna dump this bowl on your damn head."

Either Rise didn't believe him or she didn't care. Her grin grew even more smug, and he might've followed through with his threat - Otsuka-san would forgive him, the floor needed cleaning anyway - if not for the figure who walked up beside them.

Yukiko dipped her head, first at him, then at Rise. "Hello, Kanji-kun, Rise-chan."

It took Kanji a moment to answer, mostly because he'd expected Rise to get there first. "Hey, Yukiko-senpai. You, uh, ain't here to eat, are you?" He hoped not, given she was in her inn getup. Meat bowls and kimonos were a terrible combination.

The smile she gave him didn't quite look like one. "No, of course not! Just running errands. Your mother said you were here, so I wanted to-" She hesitated, gaze switching to a nondescript spot on the counter. "It's just - did Souji contact you today?"

"Yeah. Texted 'bout two hours ago."

"Oh. What did he say?"

"Asked if I wanted to visit Nanako-chan tomorrow." In keeping with Senpai's usual texting style, the whole message had been five words long. _Only telegrams charge by the letter,_ Yosuke had once complained - but right now, Kanji couldn't fault Souji his brevity.

"…That's good."

He'd never been good at conversation, particularly ones that felt wrong from the start. The silence that followed was deeply uncomfortable. Kanji glanced at Rise, hoping she'd break it, but she was staring at the shelves of bowls and bottles behind the counter.

"I'd better get back to the inn," Yukiko finally said, turning toward the door. She made it two steps before she paused and glanced back at him. "Um, Kanji-kun - could you please let me or Chie know how Nanako-chan's doing?"

"Yeah, sure. Bye, Senpai."

Even after Yukiko had pulled her umbrella from the stand and walked out into the rain, Rise still stayed quiet. Just kept poking at her food, pushing it around the bowl without ever raising her chopsticks.

Kanji frowned at her. "Y'didn't say anything."

Her smile looked even worse than Yukiko's. "I don't talk _all_ the time! Just most of it." She tipped her bowl toward him. "You want more of this?"

He shook his head. Didn't have the appetite to finish his own meal. "Thought you got along with Yukiko-senpai, s'all."

Rise shrugged her shoulders. It looked practiced, and totally unconvincing. Sometimes, she was a lousy actress - or maybe Kanji just knew better. The senpai had still seemed a little wary of him weeks after he'd joined the team; Rise had won them over with one smile. She'd started using Himiko to talk inside their heads on only her second TV trip, and nobody had objected since - or ever bothered to ask exactly how much she could hear.

"This 'bout what happened in that fight?" he asked.

Rise glanced at him, her brow slightly knitted, then stared down at the counter. "People aren't always what they seem, Kanji-kun, not inside," she said, in a much lower voice. "I know that better than most. So should you."

* * *

**November 21****st****, 2011**

Much as he'd wanted to call or text Naoto on Sunday - just to see how she was doing, of course - working up enough guts had proved impossible. Monday, Kanji decided, would be different. Provided he could find her.

The fog had rolled in overnight, thick and grey, and hadn't cleared up by noon. Naoto wouldn't spend the lunch-break outside in that, but she wasn't in her classroom either. When she'd pulled a vanishing act in the week after the festival, he'd searched the whole damn school twice over; this time, he figured he'd play it smart and ask people if they'd seen her instead. It wasn't as easy as it sounded. The first two kids he asked scurried away soon as he approached them, while the third stammered at him for a full five seconds before saying no, he hadn't seen Shirogane today. The fourth was Ayane Matsunaga, who was at least willing to talk to Kanji. Kind of.

"I-I did see Shirogane-kun," she informed the floor - but since she hadn't quite looked Kanji in the eye since the shower incident, he cut her some slack. "She was going up the third floor stairs. T-To the rooftop."

Kanji's first thought was, why would anyone want to sit out in the fog? But this was Naoto, who marched across town in rainstorms and claimed gale force winds helped her think. Hell, maybe fog cheered her up. "Got it. Thanks, Matsunaga," he said. Ayane's cheeks flared beet-red and she seemed more fascinated by the floor than ever, so he took that as his cue to head up to the roof.

When he opened the door at the top of stairs, the air immediately seemed thicker, like the fog was drifting into the stairwell. Glancing around, he could only spot two hazy figures in the grey. The first was that weird third year girl fiddling with her makeshift weather station; the second, slightly further away, was Naoto. She was staring intently through the fence at what, to Kanji, looked like empty space.

He walked nearer, making sure to tread a little harder in case she hadn't heard the stairwell door. "Yo, Naoto."

"Kanji-kun." Naoto didn't turn her head, but even in profile he could see the mix of confusion and caution in her expression.

Shit, had he done something wrong? Was she pissed off over what'd happened at his house? Had she thought about it even half as much as he had? A dozen questions burning in his mind, Kanji's mouth tried to ask all of them at once. "You - uh, you're okay now, right? S-sorry I barged in, wasn't thinkin', are you - but you were dreamin', I-"

Naoto frowned at him. He couldn't tell whether she was frustrated or just trying to translate whatever he'd said. "Your behavior provided no cause for alarm," she told him, quick and clipped. "I chose to visit you, and- -" She shook her head, attention focused back on the fence, or the murky grey beyond it. "This fog. Has it happened before?"

"How d'you mean? S'always foggy after we bring someone back."

"The fog after my kidnapping vanished scarcely an hour after dawn. This seems different. And that bothers me, particularly if it is breaking a consistent trend."

Kanji's memories of the fog were dominated by the deep relief he'd felt when the skies had finally cleared. It seemed like that'd always happened early in the morning…but it was hard to be certain. "Dunno. Sorry. Don't think it was as bad as this, though."

Naoto pressed her closed fist against her lips, apparently lost in thought. At least she didn't look disappointed. But, now that he thought about it, wasn't there something weird about this fog?

"It would be helpful if I hadn't joined your cause so late," she said. Her gaze snapped back toward him. "What was your Shadow like?"

Kanji froze, mid-aneurysm.

Shit, where had _that_ come from? Nobody liked talking about their Shadows. Yosuke liked talking about Kanji's, because Yosuke was frequently a grade-A asshole, but even he restricted himself to lewd hints and he almost never mentioned his own. You didn't have to discuss your Shadow, and you didn't put others on the spot about theirs. Unspoken rule of the team - which Naoto apparently hadn't picked up on.

In the one fragment of his mind that wasn't spinning in wild panic, Kanji decided this wasn't surprising.

"Kanji-kun? I asked-"

"I-I-wh-why the hell're you askin' something like _that_?"

"I - the thought struck me, last night, that I have not witnessed anyone else's Shadow save Namatame's." Naoto had started talking faster, in an apparent attempt to either get everything out before Kanji could interrupt or just fluster him into submission. "Yukiko-senpai provided a brief description of hers, but given that my own was observed by you all I believe it would be fairer if- -"

"M-mine was nothin' special! Nothin' at all!" he blurted, with a wild swipe toward the fence. The eyebrow Naoto quirked at him in response somehow made everything even worse. "An' if Hanamura tells you any diff'rent, he's lying, got it?"

There was a long, dangerous pause before she spoke again.

"Of course…he would have been present during your confrontation. As would the other senpai." Her expression had shifted into something terrifyingly curious. "And Teddie."

Holy crap. She _wouldn't_.

Except she would, because she wouldn't ever be able to stand not knowing something, especially if there was an obvious route to find out. The interrogation over the dolls had proved that. And if she went and asked Yosuke or Ted…

"Y-You just got done with one investigation, dammit, don't start another!" Kanji half-snapped, half-begged. "It ain't important!"

No way would she agree. Even as he spoke, he knew he'd have to take preemptive action. Busy debating whether he could actually bring himself to throw Teddie through a wall (Yosuke was no question), Kanji almost missed the sudden flash of…_something_ across Naoto's face. It looked like guilt - or maybe disappointment.

"I'm sorry. I-I suppose - facing my Shadow was - -" She hesitated, shoulders tensing, and tipped down the brim of her cap. "Your reticence is wholly explicable."

…Dammit.

Crushing on someone for half a year made arguing with them really damn difficult, particularly when just looking at them too long made you go gooey and giddy and a bunch of other seriously unmanly adjectives. Kanji felt like he'd kicked a kitten. If she'd heard him think that, Naoto probably would've kicked him for real - but instead she was staring at the fence again, one hand still fussing with her cap.

He grimaced, scratching his chin. Yukiko had fessed up, meaning he'd be a total wuss for not doing the same - and if he lied, he'd be even worse. Besides, Naoto had a point. Only the senpai had seen the emotional wreckage cluttering up Kanji's head; hers had been broadcast to the whole team, and maybe all the extra people who'd started watching the Midnight Channel too. But how did you explain a guy prancing around a bathhouse in a fundoshi without it sounding like the obvious? Six months on, and no matter how hard he'd been trying to accept his doubts, Kanji still had trouble explaining it to himself.

"Mine…h-had problems with girls," he mumbled, trying not to cringe. "Lots of 'em."

Naoto blinked up at him. "…Problems?"

"B-But it ain't what it seems! I-I mean - I - dammit!" His hand had automatically moved to the back of his neck. Maybe he should just throttle himself now and be done with it - no, wouldn't work, Naoto was still staring at him. Kanji let out a sigh. "Okay, m-maybe some of it was - but I think it was about more than just that, y'know? Liking sewing and cooking and all that kinda crap…h-how I figured nobody would ever accept me because of it. Maybe how I couldn't accept myself, I dunno."

Naoto didn't say anything at first. Just kept looking at him. Finally - and a split-second before he launched into another stumbling justification - she gave a brief nod. "Hence hiding the dolls."

"Yeah."

"You must have made progress. I noticed the display in your mother's shop."

"Souji-senpai's idea," Kanji shot back, instantly regretting it. Naoto had almost sounded impressed.

"Of course," she said, quick and smooth. "I intend to question Rise on her confrontation too."

One conversation Kanji planned to skip. He'd accidentally let the strip club part slip to Naoto back in the Secret Base, but that'd probably been the least disturbing thing about Rise's Shadow. "Ask her at the hospital this afternoon and she'll get too freaked out to feel sad."

Naoto's frown looked almost wary. "The hospital?"

He nodded. "Gonna go see Nanako-chan. Souji-senpai texted me 'bout it yesterday, Rise's comin' along."

"…At Souji-senpai's suggestion?"

Weird question; as if Kanji would ever gatecrash. "Yeah," he said - and realization hit. "Oh. Didn't ask you, did he."

"No," Naoto said, averting her eyes.

"Damn. Sorry."

"I doubt he asked Chie-senpai or Yukiko-senpai either." Naoto's voice had gone quiet, and she turned to stare at the fence again. "I - had intended to consult with him about this fog, but…" Trailing off, she folded her arms tightly against her chest.

Kanji knew Senpai didn't really mean any of it, and that he'd get over this with the team's help. Didn't stop Kanji from wanting to shake him by the shoulders - but thoughts like that didn't help anyone. Instead, Kanji followed the trend he'd set for the past six months and focused squarely on Naoto. "Hey…you, uh, have lunch yet? I-I brought too much." It was a lie, but anyone her size would barely make a dent in his ramen and beef. "Could eat up here, Souji-senpai likes t'do that with-" He stopped, catching himself. "Well, s'a good place to sit."

That was a lie too, at least right now. Eating lunch in the fog would usually be outright depressing. But looking down at Naoto - sharp grey-blue eyes, one hand now on her hip, with that little pull in her shoulder-blades that made her seem ever-so-slightly taller - it sounded like one of Kanji's best ideas ever.

She tipped her head a little. "...I have no objections."

Practically a ringing endorsement, given the source. Kanji couldn't help grinning. "I'll go grab my bento."

* * *

By the end of school, the fog still hadn't cleared. This kind of weather had turned Kanji's stomach since April - partly because of what had happened to Yamano and Saki, and partly because of what _could've_ happened if they hadn't pulled everyone out in time. And then there was October, when the fog had rolled in, he'd looked up at the telephone wires above the district, and Naoto had been- -

Except that hadn't happened. Must've dreamt that part. Kanji shook his head; he was tired from the fight in the castle, that was all. Still felt like he'd been thrown down a flight of stairs, probably because he had been.

Something else was off, though. This fog felt different, almost like he'd choke on it if he breathed in too deep, and the temperature had dropped at least five degrees overnight. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket, wishing he'd thought to bring his gloves and trying to ignore the strange bitter taste on his tongue.

If not for Souji and Nanako, he'd have stayed home. Everyone else clearly had, since the bus stop was almost deserted. Just some dude in a business suit, Kanji, and Rise - shivering beside him, wrapped in what looked like three different layers of clothing and trying to tap out a text message while wearing purple mittens. She kept frowning at her phone; the little punctuation faces were probably coming out all wrong. "I bet Souji-senpai's already at the hospital," she said. "I've gotta let him know we're stuck here. I know the buses run late sometimes, but this is nuts!"

No wonder. In this weather, the bus driver wouldn't be able to see more than ten meters ahead. "Relax. Senpai ain't going anywhere."

"I just don't want him to be there alone." Rise's thumb had stopped jabbing at her phone. "He didn't come to school today. I checked."

Even after their toughest runs inside the TV, Souji-senpai always showed up for class. He'd spent months drilling it into Kanji to do the same. "Maybe he went to the hospital early, see his uncle as well as Nanako-chan."

She shook her head. "I dunno, Kanji-kun. He's been- -"

The sentence stopped short. Kanji waited a few seconds for her to finish it before realizing she was watching the guy in the suit, who was standing a few meters away. He'd struck Kanji as a little odd - kept mumbling to himself and glancing around the fog - but the way Rise was staring at him was all wrong. Like she was seeing something else completely. When Kanji nudged her in the side, she almost jumped.

"You alright?" he asked.

Still shivering, Rise kept her gaze on the businessman. "Something isn't right." With a sharp shake of her head, she looked back at Kanji, and chuckled. "I think I'm hearing things. Crazy, huh?"

Kanji paused. Nothing about that statement was good, and everything about the way Rise had said it sounded horribly desperate.

…She was just stressed out. Probably been sleeping as badly as the rest of the team. "Only crazy thing is you worrying so much," he said, and pointed to the phone still in her hand. "An' if you don't finish that text, we'll be at the hospital before y'even send it."

Rise blinked down at her cell, as if realizing she was still holding it, then offered Kanji a lightning smile. "Yeah, you're right. Can't leave Souji-senpai hanging, can I?"

* * *

The night she'd arrived at the hospital, the doctors hadn't let anyone but Souji and his uncle in to Nanako's room. After seeing her today, Kanji was grateful - because if he'd gone in back then, Naoto might've been the one yelling at _him_ to get his shit together.

He leaned forward in the hard plastic chair, elbows resting on his knees, and wiped his hand over his face. He wasn't crying - blubbing in a hospital corridor wouldn't help Nanako, or do anything except make him look like an idiot - but dammit if he wasn't close. She'd just been lying there, in a bed that looked ten sizes too big, and everything had been too white: walls, sheets, doctors' coats, all the same. Nanako had somehow looked even paler.

Kanji had done all of this five years ago. Shouldn't it be easier a second time round?

Old memories stirred in the back of his head, his mind plucking out choice moments: when Konishi-san had found him playing by the river with Naoki and told him his dad had taken ill; when they'd arrived at the hospital and spent fifteen minutes just trying to find the right damn room; and when the doctor had come out and told them it didn't matter anyway, not anymore.

He'd lost his old man without the chance to do or say a damn thing. Maybe it'd been the same way for Naoto. Kanji hadn't brought the topic up. You didn't ask a question like that, especially when you wouldn't ever want to answer.

Take-Mikazuchi was rumbling wordlessly, the general gist being that his human self should man up and that the present had nothing to do with the past. The fact that the Persona was intervening at all wasn't a good sign, given he usually made so little noise. Kanji sat in silence, trying hard to convince himself the big lunk was right, until Souji walked out of Nanako's room.

He closed the door behind him and sat down next to Kanji. "I didn't say this earlier, but thanks for coming."

"Don't have to thank me, Senpai. Where's Hanamura?"

"Rescheduled stock-check at Junes. He said he'd drop by the house with Teddie later."

Kanji's eyebrows arched. "Why's he working? His arm's still messed up."

"Try telling him that," Souji said. It should've sounded irritated. It didn't sound like much of anything.

"What 'bout the girls?"

Souji leaned back in his chair - far too stiff to be casual - and settled his gaze on the opposite wall. "You came here with Rise."

Kanji winced.

However difficult seeing Nanako had been for him, it would've been a dozen times harder on her cousin - but how much did that really have to do with the way he was treating half the team? _People aren't always what they seem_, Rise had said. Souji seemed to believe it.

"Naoto said somethin' earlier, and - I-I don't get it, Senpai." Kanji shifted against his chair, suddenly nervous - but why would he ever feel that way around Souji? "You're okay with Ted, and he- -"

"Ted's got the mind of a four year old. He had no idea what he was doing."

The edge in his tone turned Kanji's stomach. Souji had gotten exasperated at some of the team before, even angry, but he'd never sounded disdainful. "The others didn't either."

"I wouldn't know. Rise still won't tell me what she heard from them back in the fight." Souji's mouth curled into a painful, ironic half-smile. "Pretty revealing in itself."

Rise, far as Kanji knew, wasn't telling anyone the full story. And if she wouldn't even spill it to Senpai…

He shook his head. "Magic screws people up. It's made all of us do weird shit before."

For a moment, Souji didn't respond. He stared back at the wall again, jaw tightening.

"Not like that," he eventually said. It wasn't much more than a whisper. "I saw the look in their eyes, Kanji. You did too. How can you trust someone after that?"

Kanji had seen them, alright. They'd looked terrified. Chie, Teddie, Yukiko, Naoto, all with exactly the same frozen look of horror. But he'd just been an obstruction, not the one they'd so single-mindedly tried to harm. Had Souji seen something different?

…Shit, this was stupid. Unable to sit still any longer, Kanji stood up, stomped over to the window, and smacked his palms against the sill. "What, you gonna just avoid 'em? You're better than that, Senpai!"

"Doesn't matter. Everything's over." Souji's steel-grey gaze was numb, and unnerving. "I don't need to try with them anymore. There's nothing to gain."

For a moment, Kanji could do nothing but blink at him. "…What?"

Souji rose from his seat in place of an answer. "I'm going to get some water. Want a cup?"

Dumbly, Kanji shook his head.

"Fair enough." Souji turned and walked away, hands shoved in his trouser pockets. Watching him turn down a right-hand corridor, Kanji wondered if he should've said something else, or if there had been a right response to begin with.

Nothing to gain from _what_?

"Good afternoon, Kanji-kun."

He whirled around to see Naoto a few meters behind him, standing at the junction with the corridor that led to the elevators. It suddenly seemed like a good thing Souji had left.

"Uh…s'up," Kanji said, nodding to her. "Senpai asked you to come after all?"

He'd needed to ask, just to make certain - and he wanted to have been wrong - but Naoto's answer didn't surprise him at all. "No." She stepped closer, one hand gripping the opposite arm. "I was not invited to attend."

"Yeah. He's uh, you know."

Her grip tightened, fingers pressed firmly against the sleeve of her school jacket. "But still, I-I thought perhaps-"

"Naoto-kun."

Glancing over his shoulder, Kanji saw Souji standing rigid at the opposite end of the corridor, a plastic cup in each hand - and his stomach sank.

Naoto straightened and clasped her hands behind her back, equally stiff. "Senpai. I came to see Nanako-chan."

"She's worn out." Souji had walked closer, but not by much. A gap of at least three meters stretched between him and Naoto, with Kanji caught in the middle.

Staying quiet would've been smartest. But when had Kanji ever let that bother him? "Rise's still in there, Senpai," he said, voice as steady and calm as he could make it. "No harm if Naoto goes in too."

The look Souji gave him was one Kanji didn't recognize: distant yet troubled at the same time. It lasted scarcely a moment before Souji glanced at Naoto instead. "You could come back another day," he said, and turned away without waiting for a response.

As she watched Souji open the door to Nanako's room and walk inside, Kanji watched her in turn, trying to decode her expression - or lack of one.

"I suppose that was the best I could hope for," she said quietly.

"Senpai's not himself right now." Rise had walked out of the room straight after Souji entered. She stayed by the door, both arms wrapped around her middle.

Naoto looked back at her, still with that same lack of emotion. "Neither are you, it seems."

"Naoto-kun - remember how I-I said I could hear all of you during the fight?" Rise edged closer to Kanji; hearing the shake in her voice, he wasn't surprised to see her eyes were red. "I never realized- -"

She didn't need to finish the rest. Naoto raised one hand as if to tug down the brim of her cap - then stopped, lowered it again, and gave a melancholy nod.

"And you know the worst thing? All of us probably have that inside," Rise said, hugging herself tighter. "Fighting our Shadows didn't- -it was supposed to _fix_ us."

But none of them had _needed_ fixing; they'd never been broken to begin with. Thinking that he was had caused half of Kanji's problems - and, going by their Shadows, Rise's and Naoto's too. He shook his head with a grunt. "Thass stupid."

Rise stared up at him, eyes wide. "What are- -"

"Our Shadows, they all came from whatever was eating away at us most. Accepting them was just the first step to dealin' with that." The first step in a very long walk that - in his experience - might just leave you going round in circles, but you had to start _somewhere_. "It didn't get rid of the rest of the crap inside us, and it was never meant to."

"Kanji-kun is correct. We're all still human," agreed Naoto. "Souji-senpai included."

Rise glanced between Naoto and Kanji, lips parted as if she wanted to say something, until she forced them into a smile instead. "Yeah. Sorry," she said, not nearly lightly enough. "He'll come round. We just need to look after him." She glanced back at the door. "I'm - gonna go check he's okay. Later, guys."

It wasn't until Rise had gone back in the room and closed the door again that Naoto finally looked up at Kanji. "You can be remarkably clear-headed at times."

Great. She thought he was a moron. She'd even said as much back when she'd tried to help him study - though she'd insisted later she hadn't meant it, something Kanji reminded himself of while attempting not to scowl. "M'always like this," he muttered. "Usually just comes out wrong."

_Or not at all_, he might've added.

Naoto's expression turned thoughtful - then, for the briefest moment, vaguely uncomfortable. It leveled out in an instant, and her gaze shifted to the window and the fog outside. "Things often do."

* * *

**November 24****th****, 2011**

The fog still hadn't left. Most people were pairing off when walking home now; far as Kanji could tell, some had stopped coming to school at all. He'd been counting Souji among that group until today, when he'd seen Senpai and Yosuke walking through the school gates moments before the first bell, the latter pushing his beat-up excuse for a bicycle and the former still dusting gravel off his jacket.

It took a death wish to want to ride anywhere with Yosuke Hanamura, but if anyone could get through to Souji, it was him. Staring through the window of classroom 1-3, Kanji tried to spot the two of them in the yard - school had ended only a few minutes ago, and that orange two-wheeled eyesore ought to stand out anywhere - but the fog was too dense. He hoped Senpai hadn't gone to the hospital alone. Kanji had offered, of course, but Souji had told him to take a break today and go relax somewhere.

Figured, really. Souji was the only person who knew just how much Kanji hated hospitals, the old debris they kicked up inside his head. It just didn't feel right knowing Senpai was looking out for him while blanking half the damn team.

He sighed and turned away from the window. By now the classroom was almost empty. Few more minutes and sewing club would get underway; maybe standing outside and watching would count as 'relaxing'. Kanji strode out the door, planning to head to the activities building, but stopped when he noticed Naoto standing in the corridor outside the staffroom.

How come she hadn't gone home? Or to the hospital? Souji had been a little kinder yesterday; barely said ten words to her the whole time she was there, but he'd let her in to see Nanako. Naoto's infinite stubbornness had at least gotten her further than Yukiko and Chie, who hadn't shown up at the hospital at all.

Made it even stranger she was still here, though. Kanji ambled down the corridor and stopped next to her, or as close as he dared to get. "Hey, Naoto."

She'd been staring intently at the staffroom door, and blinked up at him in surprise. "Kanji-kun. You haven't left?"

"Sewing club's meeting today."

"Are you going to attend, or watch from outside?"

The question carried no malice; Naoto's bluntness just made the whole thing sound about as stupid as it really was. Kanji tried not to cringe. "Second one," he mumbled.

Naoto considered this. "Though I acknowledge the irony of the suggestion, perhaps you should contemplate joining in."

He had, several times. Hell, the club could probably use his help - some of the stitchwork he'd seen had looked awful from three meters away - but he'd only spook the other kids. "Yeah. Just…y'know."

"Very well."

Since she didn't push the topic, Kanji gladly changed it. "So, why're you hanging 'round in the corridor?"

Naoto shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "One of the teaching faculty wishes to speak with me," she said, looking a little…sheepish?

Much as it didn't fit her, Kanji knew _that_ look. He grimaced in sympathy. "Sucks. What'd you do?"

Frowning up at him, she paused - then let out a quiet sigh. "I fell asleep during mathematics class," she admitted. "And Nakayama-sensei is not having one of her better days."

"You tired?" Kanji's brow furrowed. "You ain't had more bad -"

"No - well, yes, but only one. I've simply been working late at the police station this week."

"Huh. Thought they got rid of you?"

…Whoa, that'd come out wrong. Thankfully, Naoto only managed a halfhearted glare - maybe because, in the end, he was right. "Dojima-san…has insisted that his colleagues make full use of my abilities during his absence."

The cops had treated her like a kid all through the summer, even blocked her from the case when she'd kept insisting Kubo had only one murder to his name. The chance to make them suck it up sounded awesome. "'Bout time. Dumbasses should've listened to you earlier."

Folding her arms, she turned to the side. "Dojima-san now believes I can assist in building a strong case against Namatame."

Two victims dead, five who'd come close. Sure, the cops hadn't known about him and Yukiko and the rest, but Naoto did. It was Naoto who Souji's uncle trusted to make sure Namatame got sent down, maybe even above the other cops - and though Kanji had absolutely nothing to do with that, he still felt a small swell of pride.

But looking at her now - arms still crossed, eyes dark under her cap - something in her expression didn't match up.

He frowned at her. "And you can, right?"

Naoto looked up at him, hesitating. She'd just opened her mouth to speak when the staffroom door swung open.

Nakayama stood in the doorway: dour, thin-lipped, and resentment incarnate. "Shirogane. Inside."

Judging by the vaguely mortified look on her face - and the fact that she was the top student in their year - getting bitched out by a teacher was a brand new experience for Naoto. Kanji considered clapping a hand on her shoulder, but settled for a firm nod. "She'll just complain at you a bunch," he whispered, with the confidence of a frequent target of Nakayama's husband-induced wrath. "Trust me, I been there. And at least it ain't Kashiwagi."

Naoto sighed, tugged at her cap again, and walked into the staffroom.

* * *

In retrospect, Kanji probably should've gone to the hospital. Somehow, sitting in the corridor outside Nanako's room felt like he was doing something useful. Being there for Souji, maybe. Instead, too distracted to help in the shop - Ma had caught him dusting the display tables times over - he'd spent the early evening sitting in his room, making an inattentive attempt at sewing a hippo ballerina and doing a lot of thinking. The latter was rarely a good thing.

He'd always gotten way too hung up on stuff. Naoto was proof of that. So was him spending months wrangling with his 'doubts' - and, right now, twisting himself into knots about something he should've gotten over years ago. What was happening to Nanako was nothing like what had happened to his dad, and he had no right to be so cut up over her to start with. Even knowing that, Kanji still couldn't shake the belief that he _needed_ to be at the hospital right now, and every other day, just in case.

…No, that was plain dumb. Nanako was gonna be fine. She was a resilient kid; had to be, to lose a parent and come out of it so well. Far better than Kanji. He'd just gotten angrier and more and more scrunched up inside, unable to deal with his dad being gone and shoving everyone away instead. The piercings, the tattoo, and the clothes had all been part of that. Anything he'd thought might scare people off. It wasn't like he'd started out with many friends to spare; most of the girls at school had done nothing but laugh, and the only guy who'd never been weirded out by him was Naoki.

But even during the worst stuff he'd put her through, Ma had always told Kanji he'd been a happy kid, and that she knew he'd find his way back someday. He'd fobbed her off at the time, called her stuff he shouldn't - but in the end, and though Kanji had needed Souji Seta's help to do it, she'd been absolutely right. Still felt weird hanging out with people again, especially when those people actually gave a damn what he felt and thought, but it was a _good_ sort of weird.

Souji made finding friends seem as easy as breathing. Still didn't explain why he'd throw away the ones he had.

Kanji's phone started blaring; some bubblegum pop ringtone he'd let Rise put on there while they'd been riding the bus and he'd run out of other ways to cheer her up. Pulling the phone from his pocket, he saw Yosuke's name on the screen for the second time in recent memory. The first had been when Dojima had hauled Souji off to the cop shop.

As he picked up the phone, Kanji held his breath. "…S'up?"

_"Hey, Yosuke here."_

"I know that, dumbass, the phone shows your name on the screen. Your arm better yet?

_"Mostly. Kind of hurts, but I got sick of that stupid sling. Listen, I've gotta help Teddie with his evening shift at Junes. Are you free now?"_

He already knew where this was headed. Souji and Chie had spent a whole week slaving at Junes in the midsummer; Kanji had only gotten out of it because he'd needed to help Ma instead. Better the textile shop customers than the crowd at the food court, he'd decided, and his opinion hadn't changed. "I ain't covering for you at work, man."

_"No, moron. I was supposed to head to Souji's place after we left the hospital." _Yosuke hesitated. _"I don't like leaving him by himself, but I had to come back to help Ted and Rise's being weird about going and the other girls…" _

"Yeah. I know. You go there every day?"

_"Yep. Don't get me wrong, he doesn't _need_ it, Souji can handle anything, but - " _Yosuke stopped, then said, too casually,_ "He's being kinda weird lately. And it's not like I've got anything better to do."_

"Senpai's a tough guy."

_"Pretty big compliment, coming from you! You can tell him tonight if you head over there."_

Figured. Yosuke really did want Kanji to cover for him - just not at Junes. "That what this is about?"

Clearly realizing he'd been rumbled, Yosuke let out a quiet sigh. _"He needs company, Kanji. Nagase and Ichijo are handling it tomorrow, but somebody's gotta go tonight. You'll do it, right?"_

How did you say no to a question like that without sounding like a total dick? It was impossible. Yosuke probably knew that, the asshole. "Yeah, fine," Kanji muttered. "No worries."

But maybe this was a good thing. It'd give Souji company, Kanji a distraction, and Hanamura some peace of mind. Now that Yosuke had gotten what he wanted, Kanji waited for him to close the conversation - but instead, the other end of the line stayed silent. "…What?"

_"Naoto came by last night. Said she wanted to talk to Souji."_

"Oh. Right." The flare of jealousy made Kanji feel like an idiot. Okay, so Naoto had told _him_ she'd been working late at the station - but she needed to clear the air with Souji before things got out of hand. "Uh, how'd it go?"

Yosuke's silence was all the answer he needed.

"Damn." While Kanji couldn't imagine half of what Souji was going through, the one thing he knew from experience was that pushing friends away - outright distrusting them - would make everything far worse. The team had always had Souji's back, some of them for months, and Senpai _knew_ that. One stupid, messed-up fight shouldn't have changed his mind.

_"Never mind detectives, Shirogane's the crown prince of awkward." _Yosuke's chuckle only sounded uncomfortable. _"She left pretty quickly. Honestly, I didn't really get what she was saying."_

Might have helped if Hanamura hadn't hung around while she'd tried to say it. Even Kanji realized that. But Yosuke's protective streak had gone into overdrive where Souji was concerned - and if you spent long enough around someone, maybe you started to think a little like they did. Maybe you started doubting the same people.

It was an ugly idea.

"I'm not doing anythin' important." Kanji stood up from the table, glancing at the darkening fog outside his window. "I'll head over to Souji-senpai's now."

_"Thanks, man. I owe you one. Oh yeah, Souji told me he wanted a favour from you," _Yosuke added, sounding confused.

"Whassat?"

_"He said it was for Nanako, really. Something to do with Loveline and a custom order?"_

"Ain't you gonna be late for work?" Kanji snapped.

Yosuke took the not-so-subtle hint. _"Dude, don't bite my head off! I'm going!"_ he protested, and with one last grumble about not shooting messengers, ended the call.

* * *

**November 25****th****, 2011**

Kanji frowned at the pile of cardboard boxes. "Y' never normally need help with this."

"Well, I do this time. Don't be difficult!" Folding her arms over her apron, Rise fixed him with a glare that somehow doubled as a pout. "We don't usually have this much expired stock to throw out. There's no way I can lift it all."

There were distinct disadvantages to being the strongest guy in your group of friends. Kanji's frown deepened - probably couldn't intimidate a box into moving itself, but you never knew - then vanished as Rise's grandmother walked out the Marukyu shop door. Kujikawa-san, he'd learned a long time ago, was not a lady to be crossed.

"Rise-chan!" she scolded, tapping her granddaughter on the forearm. "Don't snap at Kan-chan, he's being a good boy."

Rise cringed. "Sorry, Grandma. I'll, um, go see what else we need to bring out," she said, and made a hasty retreat through the shop door.

Kujikawa-san watched her leave; Kanji couldn't quite make out the old woman's expression, but it shifted into a polite smile as soon as she turned to face him. "Thank you for offering to help, Kan-chan."

"No problem, Kujikawa-san." He hadn't exactly _offered_, but it wasn't like he had much else to do. Besides, Ma and Rise's grandmother were on good terms, and Kanji preferred to avoid any potential rebukes for bailing out on his mother's friends.

"Business is so slow lately…but you can probably tell that from all this waste. The weather's been so strange that even our usual customers are staying home." Kujikawa-san had been staring out into the thick fog as she spoke, but her gaze soon switched back to the shop door. "And Rise-chan…" She looked up at Kanji, the wrinkles in her forehead creasing even deeper with concern. "You'll look after her, won't you, Kan-chan?"

Look after Rise how? He'd already been walking her home from Junes at night, and he was pretty certain Kujikawa-san had no idea her granddaughter had been jumping into televisions to fight weird-ass monsters. And even on the off-chance she did, all of that was over now. Not quite understanding her point, Kanji shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah. No worries."

Kujikawa-san smiled up at him, gave a quick nod, and went back inside the shop.

A cold breeze whipped along the street, much colder than was normal for this time of year - but nothing about this weather was normal. According to the forecast, the temperature would keep dropping and the fog wasn't going to let up. The local news show had even done a report about it this morning: a ten-minute section on _'How to protect yourself from the fog'_ which had been less reassuring and more scaremongering.

Stupid. Fog was just fog. Kanji had been trying to convince himself of this all week. Take-Mikazuchi should've helped, given he'd been butting in a lot more than usual lately - but on this topic, the Persona had stayed silent.

No point dwelling on it, though. Rise would be back out with more stuff and she'd get ratty if Kanji hadn't started moving the first batch. He'd just bent down to lift the biggest box when someone called out from the street. "Hey, Kanji-kun, is that you?"

Couldn't see who it was, beyond a hazy figure jogging toward him in the fog, but the voice made it clear. "Yo, Chie-senpai! What're you doin' out?"

Chie ran up to the base of the steps, a wide grin on her face. "After-school training!" she explained, hastily adding, "Probably don't need to anymore, but you never know, right?"

"Yeah," Kanji said, without meaning it. Everything was over now: the case, the TV runs, maybe even the team.

Still jogging on the spot - and making a weird rattling noise while she did it - Chie glanced at the pile of boxes. "And now you're getting used as a workhorse, huh? I'll help."

"Uh-"

Arguing was pointless; she was already at the top of the steps. "It'll do me good," she insisted. "Running's just aerobic exercise, not strength. No point kicking if I can't do anyone any damage!" She hesitated barely a moment before breaking into another smile. "To Shadows, I mean."

Kanji wasn't sure what to say, other than that he appreciated her trying so damn hard, even if it didn't quite work and even though she might be the only one still bothering. Right on cue, Rise appeared to bail him out - except that wasn't working either. She stopped in the shop doorway, blinking at Chie, and pulled the cardboard box in her arms close to her chest. "Oh. Chie-senpai. You - don't have to help."

Chie waved her off. "Nah, it'll go quicker this way. Even Iron Tatsumi can't carry all of these at once."

Rise glanced at Kanji, then back at Chie. The look in her eyes caused a cold weight to settle in his stomach. "But- -"

"This fog is _poison_! It's a gas filled with viruses!"

A guy had bolted through the fog from the northern end of the district, skidding to a halt at the bottom of the shop steps. His limbs were twitching, like he wanted to run in every possible direction at once - and why was he wearing a gasmask? "Hell's your problem?" Kanji snapped.

Gasmask guy didn't answer. He stared wildly around him, orange coat flapping with each jerky motion, palms pressed against the sides of his head. "No, no! You don't understand, if you inhale the fog you'll die!"

"Stop saying that!" Chie hissed. "You're gonna scare people!"

Not that there was anyone else around to hear. Kanji could only see one other figure in the fog - tall, broad, and, now they'd moved closer, red-haired. Daidara, never the most sociable man, was taking advantage of the empty streets.

Unfortunately, gasmask guy spotted him too. He launched into a stumbling run. "You! What're you doing? You don't even have a _mask_!"

"And I used to think Inaba was kinda dull," Chie sighed, watching Daidara swat the guy away like an insect.

"He's not even the first one. He's just saying it out loud." Rise put down the box in her arms and turned back to the door. "I'm gonna get more boxes."

Chie stared after her as she left. "Is she okay?"

"…Dunno. Can't tell."

"Might be the fog. You hear about Takahashi? Third-year, plays centre-forward for the soccer team?" Kanji, who didn't even know the name, shook his head. "He collapsed yesterday during practice. People are saying it's because of all this," Chie said, waving a hand toward the murky street. "Maybe that gasmask guy was on to something."

"On something, more like. Fog's just fog." Kanji insisted. Chie shrugged at that, crouched down to pick up a box, and rattled again. Jangled, even. He tipped his head. "Why're you rattlin'?"

"Oh. Bottle caps," she said, like it explained everything.

"…Bottle caps?"

"Back at the inn, Nanako-chan said her class was planning a crafts project at school. She needed soda bottle caps." Chie pulled a few brightly-coloured caps out of her pocket as evidence. "Teddie helped me collect these at the food court yesterday evening. I was gonna give them to Souji, I guess."

Kanji gave a tense nod. "Yeah."

An awkward silence fell; the type that was only a few seconds long, yet crammed in a lot of unpleasant things nobody wanted to acknowledge. Fortunately, Chie didn't let it drag out. "Okay!" she said, tapping her fists together for emphasis. "I've got a better idea. I'll help Rise-chan haul everything out here first, then you and me'll move it all into the alley. Alright?"

"Sounds good," Kanji said, and grabbed the two nearest boxes from the pile as Chie headed back inside.

Good thing they'd split off. He wasn't sure he could stand another conversation riddled with difficult pauses in place of everything they didn't want to say about Souji. Kanji wasn't sure who was worse off: Naoto, gatecrashing both Souji's house and the hospital in a clumsy effort to mend bridges, or Chie and Yukiko, one desperately acting like nothing was wrong and the other spending every free hour working at an inn with no visitors.

The latter had called Kanji the other night to ask after Nanako - and, indirectly, her Big Bro. Though the conversation had expertly sidestepped Souji's recent behavior, Yukiko, unlike Chie, had at least been willing to talk about him. _It's not like Souji's alone. Yosuke hardly ever leaves his house,_ she'd said. _But I think we should _all_ be helping him, even if he doesn't want us to_.

She'd said something else too, right before she'd ended the call. _This isn't Souji_.

Kanji had known their leader half a year, almost as long as Yukiko and the other senpai, and he'd wanted to agree. The problem was, he couldn't shake the creeping suspicion that he'd never really met Souji at all. But, whoever or whatever Souji Seta really was, he'd still saved all their lives, and wasn't the type of debt you shrugged off. Kanji had reminded himself of this while sitting on the Dojimas' sofa last night, trying to pay attention to some brainless comedy show on TV and ending up watching Souji instead. He'd been polite, had even thanked Kanji for showing up, but otherwise said barely a word.

Still, awkward as it'd been, maybe he should fill in for Yosuke again one evening. Convince Naoto to come along and let her try to talk things out with Souji again. Kanji would at least have the decency to leave the room, much as he'd instinctively dislike it.

He rounded the corner into the alleyway for the second time, ready to dump his next box. He'd just finished stacking it against the wall with the others when he heard footsteps approaching from the main street. Kanji assumed they belonged to Chie - until he realized there were too many of them.

He looked up. Five dim figures stood in the fog at the entrance to the alley. "Nice dolls, Kanji-chan!"

Kanji couldn't fully see them in the fog, but he knew that voice far too well. Sonoda and his gang of idiots. They were probably bored - and, with only two brain cells to rub together between the lot of them, they'd settled on Kanji as their source of entertainment. "Get lost, Sonoda," he muttered.

"Hey, I'm paying you a compliment!" Sonoda swaggered closer, shooting a grin back at his cronies. "You stay up _all night_ sewing them, huh?"

…What?

He'd taken the doll comment as a lame insult, a clumsy way of calling him a girl, not that Sonoda actually knew he- - "Who the hell told you that?"

"Why, is Kanji-chan shy?" Sonoda jeered, his friends laughing behind him. He tipped his head toward one of them, a short and stocky guy standing on the far left of the group. "Arakaki's kid sister keeps goin' on about wanting one. Though we'd drop by your mom's store and check 'em out."

Kanji lurched toward Sonoda, almost toppling the stack of boxes. "Listen, asshole," he snarled, fists already clenched at his sides. "You even _look_ at our shop an' I'll beat the living shit outta you!"

"_Try it_, Kanji-chan."

"Hey! Leave him alone!"

Shit. Chie must've finished bringing stuff out of the shop. No way did Kanji want her to get involved in this - not that 'this' was gonna be a problem, screw Sonoda and his half-assed taunts and his idiot friends, all still blocking the alley entrance and making Kanji more and more nervous. She just needed to leave. Now. "It's fine, Senpai, these assholes are- -"

"Stay outta this, bitch," Arakaki growled, with a curt glance over his shoulder.

Short as she was, Kanji could barely see Chie with Sonoda's friends standing between them. He just caught a glimpse of green - and her very indignant response. "Yeah, right! You seriously think I'm gonna run from a bunch of cowards like you? Especially when you're picking on one of my friends!"

She was tough, no question. But there were five third-year guys and only one of her - and while she could handle herself in a fight just as well as Kanji, she had an equally poor grasp on her temper. "Dammit, Chie-senpai," he growled. "Don't get involved!"

"…'Chie-senpai'?" Sonoda broke into a broad, infuriating grin. "Hey, I know you! That bitch who's always hangin' off Amagi! Kanji-chan your new girl now?" he sneered at Chie, then turned back to Kanji, his eyebrows angled in mock concern. "Aw, but what about Shirogane? Your little _boyfriend's_ gonna get jealous."

"Is _that_ what this is about?" Chie snapped; Kanji still couldn't see her. "Naoto-kun's a girl, you morons!"

"Coulda fooled me." Sonoda almost spat the words. "Though you're way more of a man than Shirogane."

"Shut up! Like _you'd_ know anything about being manly, you, you- -" The sentence disintegrated into an furious half-growl. Kanji had seen Chie lose her rag with Yosuke plenty of times; this was very different.

He grit his teeth. "Look, Sonoda. Just go, alright?"

"No problem. Kanji-chan's gotta run home and make more dollies, guys!"

"Stop saying that! The fuck's your problem?"

"Knew it all along," Sonoda crowed, sneering and smirking just like he always would, Kanji knew, just like everyone else. "All that tough-guy bullshit, swaggering around - and you're nothing but a faggot."

Kanji didn't register what he was doing until he'd thrown Sonoda against the wall and slammed a fist into his stomach.

The next swing - this one deliberate - connected with Sonoda's jaw and sent him crashing into the pile of boxes. His cronies started yelling and cursing, Chie's higher-pitched shouts cutting across theirs, and the next moment there were two guys behind Kanji - fists pounding hard against his back, hands ripping at his jacket. He backhanded one of them straight into the wall but the motion left him wide open, and something hard and heavy whacked against his midriff.

He doubled over in pain, choking down the bile in his throat yet still shaking with anger. Another punch glanced off his cheek, smashing his nose instead and sending him staggering directly into Arakaki. Disorientated, Kanji didn't think to launch an attack. Arakaki drew back one heavy fist, aimed directly at Kanji's face - then crashed down with a yell as Chie kicked his legs out from under him.

She was hopping from side to side, same battle stance she used inside the television - but this _wasn't_ the television, they weren't saving anyone or anything, they were just- -

"Tatsumi, straighten up!" she ordered, trying to push him upright at the shoulder - then broke off, lunging forward and slamming her knee into another guy's groin.

Kanji couldn't help wincing. Didn't help that he was on the verge of throwing up. But Take-Mikazuchi was roaring in the back of his skull, riled up by the fight, and the instincts he'd honed fighting Shadows kicked in. He pivoted, swinging wide and fast into another long-haired guy's jaw. Might've been the one who'd hit him in the gut, Kanji couldn't tell - but he sure as hell recognized Sonoda, who was still wriggling on the ground, hands clutching his face.

There were more people shouting now. Not Sonoda's friends, they were all down - but Chie was yelling again, mixed in with a few more voices he couldn't place. He didn't care. It sounded too distant, like garbled speech being carried down a long tunnel. All that mattered was Sonoda, cursing and coughing and trying to push himself upright.

Kanji sped up the process, grabbing his collar, yanking him up from the ground and shoving him against the brick wall again. Sonoda stared at him, eyes wide with absolute terror - and Take-Mikazuchi rumbled with approval.

"You're the one fulla shit!" Kanji spat, both fists snarled tight around Sonoda's shirt. "And you're gonna leave me and Naoto and ev'ryone else alone, got it?"

Sonoda was trying to cringe away, hands clawing uselessly at Kanji's forearms. "O-Okay! C'mon, just let me go!"

Right now, Kanji wasn't sure if he could. He never had the chance to find out.

"What the hell's going on? Drop him, now!"

It wasn't Chie, or any of Sonoda's friends, or anyone else Kanji knew. Though he didn't want to take his eyes off Sonoda, he glanced toward the street - and saw two new figures blocking the alley entrance, both dressed in the blue uniforms of the Inaba police.

Kanji immediately released his grip on Sonoda's shirt, letting him crumple to the ground.

One of the cops - young and well-built, maybe only a few years older than him - Kanji didn't recognize. The other, however, was the same dick who'd been arguing with Naoto back in the summer. "Tatsumi," he said, voice laced with disgust. "Figures _you'd_ be picking on other kids."

Wait. Was that what they thought - -

Kanji spun toward the older cop, not knowing how to explain and still desperate to try. "But I-I wasn't - he was -!"

"T-Tatsumi hit me first!" Sonoda cried, still cowering against the wall. "I-I never touched him!"

"I've seen _you_ before too. Both punks!" the cop barked. "We should've let you take each other out."

Chie rounded on him, fists clenched at her sides. "This isn't Kanji-kun's fault, you morons weren't even here!"

Dammit, you didn't call the police morons. You sure as hell didn't brawl in the shopping district, either. This was different from the bikers, they'd swung first and Kanji had just been defending himself - but Sonoda, all he'd done was talk. Again and again, spouting stuff _nobody_ had any right to say.

The younger cop moved closer. "We could take 'em both down to the station, sir."

"Yeah. Good idea."

"I don't believe this!" Chie raged. "You aren't even listening!"

"I know what I saw, kid. Tatsumi starting yet another fight."

Kanji could taste blood, trickling down from his cracked nose, but his mouth was dry. "But I - Sonoda, he just kept sayin' all this stuff, I didn't mean t'hit him!"

"Then you shouldn't have done it, bonehead," the cop snapped, unclipping a set of handcuffs from his belt. "'Bout time you thugs got what's coming to you."

* * *

It felt like Kanji had been sitting in the interview room for hours. It was hard to be sure. There was no clock on the wall, and the cop at the front desk had taken his phone.

While he'd been riding in a police car to the station, he'd managed to calm down by reminding himself that he'd been dragged in here before, usually for stuff he'd had nothing to do with or that hadn't even happened. Fact was, Kanji looked wrong. His build, his face and his clothes had caused a whole bunch of assumptions and his attitude had made the cops run with them. Making an example, they'd called it. Kanji had sat through their gruff lectures, brushed off the snide comments, safe in the knowledge he'd done nothing wrong.

The time was different - and worse than all the rest put together.

"Sonoda can press charges for assault." The cop who was interviewing him - Kuroda, something like that - leaned back in his chair. "If he wants."

Just a way to scare him, Kanji thought - until he remembered who'd swung first.

He tried to explain to Kuroda after that; a stumbling, messy account of everything Sonoda had done and said over the past few weeks. Though he held off on mentioning Naoto - she still had to work here - he spilled as much as he could, including the reason he'd finally broken. Tell a cop you made stuffed animals and that too many kids at school thought you might be into guys, and you deserved whatever shitty response you got, but Kanji's single desperate thought was that if he could just make somebody _get _it, the police would let him leave.

Kuroda didn't interrupt once. Just sat there and scribbled stuff in his notebook. At the end, when Kanji had finally run out of steam and could hardly talk past the rock hard lump in his throat, Kuroda leaned forward and laid his pen down on the table.

"Tatsumi, I can see why you did it. And Sonoda's in and out of this joint so often, he ought to pay rent," he said with a grimace. "But we don't have any witnesses other than his friends and that girl you were with, and they're telling two very different stories."

If it came down to Kanji or Sonoda, who were people more likely to believe? Two punks to choose between - but one of them had to have thrown the first punch. "I-I know. An' I did hit him. I just want people t'get why I did it." Kanji swallowed, staring fiercely at his hands. "I ain't a thug."

"You did a number on those bikers."

Shit, he'd never live that down. "Wouldn't stop revving their damn engines," he mumbled. "Woke my ma up."

"Yeah, and they started a rumble when you asked them to stop." The sentence seemed to end in a half-chuckle. Still looking down, Kanji couldn't see Kuroda's expression. "That story's pretty popular around these parts."

Was that supposed to make him feel better? The rumble with the bikers was something that'd seemed unavoidable in the blazing moment, but really stupid days or even hours later. Sure, he'd solved the noise problem, but Ma hadn't talked to him properly for a week after. Kanji had never told her exactly why he'd done it. He'd always hoped she knew anyway.

"You want me to keep everything in here?" Kuroda asked.

Confused, Kanji lifted his head. Kuroda was flicking through his notebook. "K-Keep what?"

"What Sonoda said that made you snap. The dolls, and…" Kuroda shot an odd, pointed glance at Kanji, then focused back on his notebook. "I can gloss over it in the report."

After all the questions Kuroda had asked, and the long, sprawling explanation he'd received in response, why wouldn't he want to type the whole thing up? It took Kanji several long moments to grasp what Kuroda was saying, and exactly which parts would be left out.

Most of the cops gave him enough shit as it was. Why make it easier for them?

"Would leaving it all in help get me outta here?" he asked, frowning.

Kuroda shrugged. "Probably not. Depends on what Sonoda decides to do. But some of the guys here - well. You get what I'm saying?"

"...Yeah. So why're _you_ helpin'?"

"I've got a son your age. I'd say you'd both get on well, but it'd probably end in a slugging match." He sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, then shrugged again. "I've met plenty of thugs, Tatsumi. You're just a kid who needs to learn to keep his temper."

Kanji rubbed at his nose. Still ached. "Leave it out, then," he mumbled. "And - and thanks."

"Don't thank me yet. Let's see what happens first." Kuroda stood up, grabbed his notebook and pen in one hand and walked to the door. As he opened it, light spilled in - but he didn't leave. Kanji could hear him talking quietly with someone in the corridor, a murmuring that eventually ended with Kuroda glancing over his shoulder. "Someone to see you. Make it quick," he added, striding out of the room - with Souji walking inside a moment later.

He was still in his white winter pea-coat, hands shoved in his pockets, and he didn't move from the doorway. "Hey."

Right now, Souji was the first and last person Kanji wanted to see. "H-hey, Senpai," he said, forcing a smile and resisting the urge to launch into an apology. "Can't believe they let you in."

"Adachi-san pulled some strings. A lot of the cops know me anyway, I sometimes drop dinner off for my uncle." Souji paused, gaze fixed somewhere to Kanji's left. "Or I used to."

"Th-thanks for coming."

"Just needed to check you're okay. And you are," he said, with a slow nod. "So, I'll be leaving now."

"Senpai, wait, I-"

"Sorry, Kanji." Souji pulled one hand from his coat pocket and ran it through his hair, pausing to knead his knuckles against his left temple. "It's just - not a good time for anything. Definitely not for all this." He looked directly at Kanji. "Besides, Naoto wants to talk with you."

Hold on. Naoto was here?

Of _course_ Naoto was here, this was the cop shop, she'd been coming here every night since they'd got Nanako back. And if Kanji hadn't wanted Souji to see him like this, Naoto would be even- -

"Later, Kanji." Souji left without waiting for an answer, and Naoto immediately walked in to take his place - like a conveyor belt of all the people Kanji couldn't handle talking with right now. Ma would probably be next.

Naoto walked briskly to the table, two manila folders tucked under one arm, a can of Orange Smash in the opposite hand. She placed them both on the surface, the second closer to Kanji's side than her own.

He gave a quick nod. "Thanks."

She nodded back and sat down in the opposite chair. Tall and lanky, Kuroda had made it look like kid's furniture; in Naoto's case, the table's edge reached her chest. She placed her elbows on the surface, staring at the can as Kanji cracked it open.

It was a weirdly quiet reaction, and not the one he'd expected. He paused, soda gripped in his hand. "Why'd you call Souji-senpai?"

"I didn't. I was in the records room here when they brought you and Sonoda in. I assume Chie-senpai contacted him."

Damn, he'd forgotten about Chie. She'd looked alright after the fight, but last time Kanji saw her, she'd been hollering down both of the cops. "Is she okay?"

"Based on the vigor of the diatribe she launched at the head sergeant, I would say she's fine. She insisted on coming here to state your case. I believe her father collected her a short while ago." Naoto's voice was as level as her expression, but something seemed…off.

Kanji hesitated, desperate for some sort of reassurance and equally desperate to hide it. "That cop, Kuroda. He - he said I might get locked up. Are they really gonna do that?"

She shook her head. "Scare tactics. I just spoke with Sonoda. He has…declined to press charges, meaning there's no legal justification for keeping you incarcerated." The odd pause made Kanji wonder exactly what she'd said to Sonoda, and why. "You'll be permitted to leave in the morning, if not before."

He swallowed the sigh of relief in a swig from his can. "Good. Don't wanna be late for school."

There wasn't much to say to that, so he wasn't bothered by the sudden silence. He was on the verge of breaking it, wanting to ask if all this could be kept from his ma, when Naoto shot out of her seat and slammed her palms against the table. "Kanji, what the _hell_ were you thinking?"

Kanji knew his own brand of anger too well: you yelled, broke stuff, stormed around till you got it all out. Naoto's was very different. Strained, erratic, and startling - but only until his indignation kicked in. "You're raggin' on me? _He_ started it!"

"Sonoda is a bigoted idiot! You - - I expected better," she snapped, leaning further toward him. "Was this - it was like the other occasions, I presume? A misguided attempt to defend me?"

"No. This one was between me an' him."

The taut fury drained from Naoto's expression. "What?"

Talking didn't help Kanji deal with stuff. Never had. He'd only spoken up so Naoto might finally realize she wasn't the center of the universe - but hey, she'd interrogate him anyway, would probably start up any moment, and if you'd once listened to someone spill whatever they'd needed to say then didn't that mean they had to listen back?

He took a deep breath. The knot behind his ribs twisted tighter. "It was the dolls. H-He found out."

Naoto sat back in the chair a lot more slowly than she'd shot out of it. She stared down at her hands for several long moments, palms still pressed against the table, before she spoke. "I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"For jumping to conclusions. And because Sonoda only began persecuting you due to your connection with me."

Kanji's eyes had started stinging with sudden, useless heat - and over what? Sonoda? He blinked hard and concentrated on slowing his breathing. "Not your fault," he choked out. "I was an idiot thinkin' Senpai's idea would ever work. N-Never shoulda put that display up."

It wasn't just Sonoda. So much else kept gnawing at him: Nanako getting so badly hurt, the fight with Namatame, whatever was happening with Souji. And, most of all, the piercing realization that even if Kanji someday managed to fully accept his Shadow, he'd never be able to change other people. They'd treat him the same way they always had, always would - and if that was true, what was the point in trying?

"I disagree," Naoto said, with a firm shake of her head. "There's nothing wrong with what you - "

"No, there _is_, an' there always was! It's the same every damn time, soon as anyone hears about that crap they treat me like a freak!" Kanji gulped for breath and pressed his lips together. He needed to shut up, man up, because whining like a pansy was only making him feel worse - but the words kept scraping up his throat and surging out. "An' I just - I-I'm sick of it, y'know?"

"Yes." Naoto's voice had turned almost too quiet to hear.

"It - it ain't _fair_," he blurted, slamming his fist on the table in vivid punctuation. "A-Accepting myself is fricking hard enough, s'even harder when nobody else does."

"_I _do."

Kanji almost flinched; Naoto barely moved. She stared at him for a moment, intense and unreadable, then quickly looked away. "We all do," she added. "Souji-senpai, and the others."

…Right. All of them.

Kanji was reading too much into this. He couldn't do anything else, storing up all these useless glances and moments and trying to build some sort of meaning - one that, right now, he desperately wanted to believe. But he wasn't stupid.

Leaning back in his chair, he tried his best to calm his breathing. "Uh..thanks," he managed, convinced his racing heartbeat would drown out his voice. "T-To alla you, I mean."

"Yes." Naoto exhaled slowly, blue-grey eyes drifting to the folders on the table. "Of course."

An odd silence fell; this time, filled up with all the things Kanji _wanted_ to say but didn't have the right words to shape. And he had no idea what he _should_ say, instead. Story of his life - except he realized now that Naoto probably didn't either. The thought was comforting.

Eventually, he cleared his throat. "You, uh, gonna stay here till - till you're done with work?"

"Actually, I need to leave now." Naoto stood up as she said it, grabbing the manila folders. "Souji-senpai has agreed to accompany me to my apartment before he returns home."

Kanji swallowed hard, hands tensing in his lap. "Y'never asked anyone to walk you back before."

Naoto glared at him. Maybe she'd been going for anger, but it came off as uneasy. "I do not require Senpai's _protection_, I just - need to talk to him," she said, squaring her shoulders. "And I bear no obligation to justify that."

"Yeah. Sorry," Kanji said, well aware that they were both being dickish about this in their own way, and that one of them would have to back down first. "I know, you gotta figure stuff out with him."

The only response was Naoto walking toward the closed door - though she stopped halfway, and turned back to face Kanji. "That you felt frustrated with Sonoda is entirely understandable," she said, "but you should have kept your composure. The last two encounters did not end in violence."

"Last two encounters, you made me back off."

It was brutally honest, but he was too ground down for anything else. Naoto studied him carefully, eyebrows slightly angled.

"I know, it ain't right," he admitted. "But all shitheads like Sonoda wanna do is hurt people, an' I can't stand that."

Her expression softened a little, or as soft as Naoto - all fine angles and sharp edges - ever got. Several seconds passed before she spoke. "My word counts for even less around here than it did in the summer. Unfortunately, rumours travel quickly," she added - bitterness mixed with resignation. "But I'll discuss your situation with Kuroda and the other senior officers before I leave. With no charges to press, keeping you here overnight serves no purpose."

"Thanks." Unlike most of Kanji's smiles lately, this one wasn't forced. "Even if they do keep me longer - s'enough that you tried, yeah?"

"Trying will never be enough," Naoto muttered, glancing at the folders under her arm, then shook her head. "I should be leaving. Goodnight, Kanji-kun."

"Night." Kanji nodded, Naoto dipping her cap in turn - and he watched her leave the room, the door clicking shut behind her.


	32. Chapter 25

_A/N: Four days late. Bit of a breather episode? Thought it necessary, given the point we've reached in-game._

_I sound like a broken record – but I genuinely appreciate everyone's comments and reviews. Scratch that – I'll also thank everyone who's regularly reading this story. Don't know how many of you there are, but I hope you're enjoying it. Individual thank-yous this time to Mizuno Rei-shi and Delirante, whose reviews I can't answer due to PM restrictions._

_Story so far: As fog set in over Inaba, Naoto tried to make amends with Souji, while Kanji tried to solve his problems with his fists._

_In this part: Teddie fails at handstands, Kanji can't see the point in logarithms, and Naoto makes a splash._

* * *

**November 26****th****, 2011**

Ma hadn't taken it well.

Kanji never expected kindness from adults, much less cops, but Kuroda had proved an exception. He'd made a detour on his drive home from work and dropped Kanji off at the store at around midnight - something Ma had still been awake to notice. Tired and still agitated, he hadn't come up with a good reason why he'd needed driving back to begin with and had wound up spilling the entire story. Ma hadn't yelled, hadn't even scolded him, but the way she'd looked at him had felt far worse.

Shame class let out at noon on Saturdays; the extra time might've been enough to work up the courage to walk inside the textile shop instead of staring at the front door. He shuffled his boots against the concrete, wondering if Ma could see him through the shop window. He hoped not. Facing her right now was impossible.

Screw it, he'd stay out this afternoon. Deal with it later. The problem was finding somewhere to go. Couldn't hang with the others - Souji, Naoto and Chie all knew what he'd pulled last night and by now the rest of the team would've found out too. What was he supposed to say? _Hey, remember how you all used to think I was a thug? Guess what!_

Chie had to get it, though. Naoto had already said she did. Even Souji had said he understood and Kanji preferred to believe him. But Yukiko would be disappointed, Rise and Teddie probably wouldn't see why Kanji had lost it to begin with, and given some of the jibes Yosuke had made in the past...

Maybe a walk would clear his head. Huddling into his coat against the cold, he struck out for the north end of the shopping district along a street still wreathed in fog. He could barely see five meters ahead, explaining why he was practically in front of the liquor store before he noticed Naoki sitting alone on the doorstep. "Yo. Why're you sittin' out here?"

Naoki looked up. "Oh, hey, Kanji-kun." He tipped his head toward the shop's darkened interior. "Just gets kinda claustrophobic in there, you know?"

"Yeah, I know that feeling."

"Really?" He hummed in thought, tapping his fingers against his knees. "I guess this weather doesn't help."

"No kidding. Aiya's gonna have to switch to foggy day specials."

It'd been meant as a dumb joke, but Naoki's expression turned anxious. "I, uh, overheard my dad talking just now. He said he'd heard from Otsuka-san that you…got in a fight last night."

Part of Kanji wondered how many times he'd have this conversation. Naoki was the first to ask outright; he wouldn't be the last. Another part wondered exactly how Naoki would react - or how badly.

But he hadn't judged Kanji when they were kids. Why would he start now? "Yeah. Some asshole had been sayin' a lot of stuff he shouldn't 'bout me. Naoto, too. He started again, an' I just - snapped."

Naoki studied him. "What sort of stuff?"

"Just. You know. Those rumours goin' round at school, shit like that."

"Oh." He had the decency to leave it at that; Kanji was grateful. "Hey, did you have lunch?"

"Nope. Why?"

"I promised my mom I'd sweep the shop floor before we get busy," Naoki said, in a tone that suggested he didn't believe it'd ever happen, "but that won't take long. We could go to Aiya afterwards."

"Not if Otsuka knows what happened." Old fart still harped on the biker gang fight. He'd known the Tatsumis way too long. "I'll get an earful."

"Okay, how about Souzai Daigaku?"

"Sure. I'll wait for you t'finish up."

Naoki shook his head. "I'd feel bad for you hanging around in this. Go on ahead, I'll be there in about ten minutes."

All of Souzai Daigaku's seating was outdoors. How sitting in fog there was any different to standing in it here, Kanji didn't know - but he still headed off to the south, cutting a path through the murky grey.

He hadn't been able to place why everything felt so _off_ - why his stomach twisted in on itself whenever he stared too far into the fog - but as he walked past the boarded-up toy shop, realization hit. The district was silent. None of the usual voices and noises. Granted, nobody was spending much time outside these days, but even his footsteps sounded muffled. Rise had told him she was hearing things; Kanji could barely hear anything at all.

Thinking of Rise, he made sure to walk closer to the front steps of Marukyu Tofu, just to check on her. Even with the fog, Kujikawa-san had been leaving the front door open - _it'll encourage customers_, she'd insisted - and he peered inside as he passed. Rise was standing behind the counter of the empty shop, looking out at the fog, and didn't seem to notice him until he waved and the motion caught her eye. She waved back, even smiled - but something about it reminded him of June, and the first time he, Senpai and Yosuke had gone to the shop to meet her.

It wasn't a good feeling. Kanji shoved his hands in his pockets and kept walking.

Souzai Daigaku had to be hurting for business too. No lunchtime crowd, and nobody in line at the stand. Good thing their best customer wasn't spooked by the fog. Chie was sitting alone at one of the tables, tearing into a plate of steak skewers that, by now, were looking pretty light on steak.

Kanji raised a hand. "Yo, Chie-senpai."

She glanced up, still chewing - "Mreym, Khaji-kumph!" - then frowned and quickly swallowed. "…Oh, sorry, that was probably gross."

He slouched into the chair opposite her. "Ain't like it bothers me."

Chie picked up her final skewer and tore off half the meat in one bite. Either Souzai Daigaku was having one of its rare good days or the girl had a steel jaw. "So," she said after conquering the mouthful, "what time did the police let you go home?"

"Bout eleven-thirty. Thanks for tryin' to talk to them. And - for helping out in the fight." By rights, the cops should've arrested her too, but how you acted counted for a lot less than how you looked. "Would've had trouble without you."

"Honestly, I was too pissed off to back down," she admitted. "But when I saw Naoto-kun at the station, I figured she could help you more than I could, and probably without punting anyone. I phoned Souji-senpai just in case, though." She gave a weak smile. "I was kinda surprised he picked up."

"Pretty sure he's pissed at me."

"Could be worse," Chie said quietly. "He might not even care."

It took an effort not to wince. "Nah, it ain't like that. Everything's just weird right now."

"Hey, it's fine, Yukiko's got my scolding covered. She already gave me grief at school - this long spiel about how I could've gotten hurt, how I'm not as tough as I think I am, blah blah _blah_. I don't even know how she found out!" Chie groaned and shook her head. "Don't get me wrong, she totally means well, it's just…" She grimaced and, with one final frown at her skewer, bit off the last chunk of steak.

"We shouldn'ta let it get that far. _I _shouldn't." He drummed his fingers against the table's surface. Still muffled. "My shitty temper."

"_Our_ shitty tempers. Besides, that guy, Sanada, he was a total jerk!"

"Sonoda. An' I hit him first."

Her lower lip jutting out, Chie considered this. "Well," she eventually said. "Sometimes that happens. But it's pretty clear who the bad guy was."

'Bad guy'. Kanji envied her clarity. Everything was easier when you saw stuff that way, the whole world cast in black and white - except nothing had ever really been that simple. Deep down, Chie probably knew that.

"And he'd been bullying Naoto-kun, right?" she continued. "As much as anybody _could_ bully Naoto-kun."

"Yeah. He got started on me 'cause I stuck up for her. I don't get his issue with her."

"Really? I, um, thought it was kinda obvious." Chie looked down, tracing shapes on her plate with one of the bare skewers. "He said she'd fooled him. I mean, he - he must've thought…you know…"

Right before Chie trailed off, she shot Kanji a glance. He didn't like it one bit. "Know _what_?"

She hesitated. "Naoto-kun confused a bunch of people."

The one explanation Kanji hadn't considered was that Sonoda had gone through the same crap as him. But even if he had – even if he'd been nursing the same doubts – it was a damn stupid reason to hate someone. Kanji hated that Naoto still left him blushing and stammering, that he noticed her even when he didn't want to, that she'd made him desperate for every hint that she'd noticed him in return and in the way he wanted. He _didn't_ hate that the boy he'd been twisting himself up over wasn't strictly a boy at all. Naoto had her reasons – and any questions she'd stirred up, Kanji had been dodging for years. If she'd never come to Inaba at all, his Shadow would've been no different.

Everything afterwards might've been easier, though.

Kanji leaned back in his chair and stretched his legs under the table. "She don't notice half of what she does to anyone."

Chie shrugged. "Who cares anyway? Sonoda said a bunch of stupid stuff. You're nobody's girlfriend, you probably don't make dolls," - and here, Kanji tried not to cringe - "and I'm definitely not _mannish_!"

He gave a lopsided smile. "'Course you ain't."

With a satisfied nod, she laid the skewer on her plate and pushed back her chair. "I better get going, Yukiko asked me to drop by after lunch. Probably so she can deliver The Great Amagi Dressing-Down, Part 2. Later, Kanji-kun."

"Later."

After one final smile, she walked away and vanished into the fog within seconds.

If, might, would – what was the point? Naoto _had_ come to Inaba, and that was a good thing. Once Kanji found the balls to speak out, he might make it even better. Just needed better circumstances, that was all, a time when Nanako would be back at home and everyone would be getting along again.

His phone buzzed inside his coat. Might be Naoki explaining why he still hadn't shown. Kanji fished it out and flipped it open.

_yo tatsumi u ok_

Hanamura again?

Lately, he'd been contacting Kanji pretty often, and never for a casual chat. _**yeah why**_

_souj said u got ina fight w/sum guy from school_

Might as well be honest. Yosuke already had first-hand experience of Kanji's temper. _**idiot was picking on Naoto for ages. started on me & i got sick of it. end of story**_

_yeah i kno souji told me_

_dont let assholes like that get to u dude ur better than that_

The two messages came only moments apart. Wasn't the reaction he'd expected; maybe Souji hadn't let on exactly what Sonoda had said to make Kanji snap. He'd started tapping out a response when a third text arrived.

_but if u do it again do NOT let chie get involvd ok_

Like he could've stopped her. She'd have ignored Sonoda's gang and punted Kanji instead. _**wont be a problem**_

He was tempted to ask exactly why Yosuke cared, even if (and maybe because) the answer was obvious.

By the time Naoki showed, ten minutes later, no new messages had arrived. Hanamura must've gotten the answer he wanted. Kanji left his phone on the table and went to order lunch instead.

While they were waiting for their food, Naoki stayed pretty quiet. Didn't say much as they sat at the table, either – just ate his curried beef and occasionally shot Kanji an awkward smile. Kanji had demolished half a plate of croquettes before Naoki finally spoke.

"My dad heard that Souji-senpai broke you out of the police station. Just walked in and kicked down the door. I'm guessing that isn't true?"

Kanji gave him a flat stare. "What do you think?"

"Yeah, thought so. Pretty neat rumour, though. Better than the ones usually spreading through this town." Naoki's brow furrowed. "How's he doing?"

"…Not great."

"We haven't talked in a while. I - don't really know what to say." He looked aside, eyes distant and pained. "Out of everyone, you'd think I would."

"It ain't the same," Kanji mumbled.

Naoki's expression sharpened. "Why?"

Though Kanji couldn't explain it, there was a simple, crucial difference. Naoki could never have helped Saki, while Souji had been the only one able to save Nanako. That one change left Senpai facing a question Naoki had never needed to ask: what if he'd got there sooner?

Long moments passed. Kanji opened his mouth a few times around a half-formed answer that never made it past his lips, but it was Naoki who broke first. "You can say what you're thinking, Kanji-kun. Saki's gone and Souji-senpai's cousin isn't. Right?"

"I, uh - -" Kanji began - and his phone rattled against the table so suddenly that he almost elbowed it off the edge.

Saved by a text message. Yosuke probably wanted to backtrack on that last one, realized he couldn't have anyone thinking he actually cared about Satonaka. Kanji opened the phone, avoiding Naoki's gaze, and stared at the screen.

_STUDY TOMORROW Y/N_

Study? Why would he - -

He gulped. "Oh, shit. Finals."

"Yeah, next week," Naoki said. "Are you ready?"

"Ain't opened a single textbook." Hadn't been listening in class either, not lately. Holy crap, he was going to crash and burn. And, now the initial surprise had died away, he wasn't sure he cared.

The irritation in Naoki's voice had vanished. "You need help studying? I'm not great at exams, but I get by."

"Nah, s'fine, Naoto just offered," Kanji said offhandedly. The silence that followed gave him time to realize that wait, Naoto _had_ just offered, _why_ had she offered, it hadn't done much good last time and didn't she have better stuff to do? A straight-A student trying to help some brawling punk made no sense, even if they were friends - because they totally were, the last week had made him certain, and he had a (very hopeful) feeling that, by now, Naoto thought so too. Provided he didn't get arrested again.

The mental tirade might've gone on longer if not for Naoki. "Well, Shirogane's really smart."

"Damn right she is." Kanji couldn't help a grin. It didn't make much difference; Naoki had already turned his attention back to his meal.

* * *

**November 27****th****, 2011**

The food court looked deserted. It was only ten-thirty, so the place wouldn't normally be packed - but Kanji had been here on Sunday mornings before, and there'd always been a few parents and kids milling around the tables. Then again, maybe there _were_ customers out there. Hard to tell through the fog. It pushed up against the store's glass doors like grimy cotton wool, obscuring almost everything beyond the refreshment stands.

Studying indoors would've been smarter. Studying indoors would have also meant him and Naoto either sitting in her apartment or Ma's living room, and both options had felt too awkward to suggest. And Naoto had been the one to suggest meeting at Junes, so she probably felt the same way, right?

Kanji let out a breath, ran his hand through his hair, and strode through the sliding doors.

"Psst! Kanji-chan! Over here!"

He glanced right. A suited Teddie peered over the counter of the drinks stand, beckoning with one round paw.

Kanji walked over. "They're makin' you work outside in this?"

"None of the humans want to do it. They think the fog will make them sick. However, Teddies are immune!" Ted might've been puffing out his chest, but the suit was too round to tell.

At least _somebody_ wasn't afraid. Most people were hiding indoors instead, and the ones that weren't gave Kanji the creeps. Maybe Inaba needed a few more Teddies, he thought, and instantly regretted it. "They're all fussin' over nothing," he muttered. "S'just fog."

"I dunno, Kanji-chan. The fog inside the television makes humans feel really bad, that's why I had to make you all glasses. But out here…it's different, but still not right. I think people can tell." Ted shifted in place, squeaking from one shoe to the other. "Like the two who were hiding in the lobby earlier."

"They're still there. Saw a cop trying to haul them out." A girl and a guy, both in their twenties, wearing orange Junes uniforms and cowering by the shopping carts.

"Yosuke said he'd try to make them head home for some sleep. I guess they didn't want to go."

Hysteria. Too many people scaring each other with superstitious crap. Junes probably just drove those employees too hard trying to make up for the ones that were phoning in sick. By now, Kanji was glad Naoto wanted to meet outside - it proved that at least one other person still had a handle on their common sense.

He glanced at his phone. Ten-forty. "Hey, did Naoto come by here yet?"

"Yep! She's sleeping over there." Teddie pointed over Kanji's shoulder. Under the wooden shelter, Naoto was hunched over at one of the picnic tables with her head buried in her folded arms. A small stack of folders and textbooks sat on the surface beside her, her cap perched on top.

No way had Kanji gotten the meeting time wrong. He'd checked her last text three times over. "Dammit, how long's she been there?"

"Dunno," Teddie said. "Clocks are tricky. I just know when it's midnight."

"But she told me to be here at ten-thirty, we're s'posed to study."

"Study? Study what? Ooh, could she teach me too?"

"You don't go to school, dumbass."

"Details!" The head of the bear suit popped off to reveal Teddie's human form crouched inside, wearing his scarf and duffel coat. "I'll ask her now!"

He started to climb out of the suit, but Kanji grabbed his arm. "No! Let her wake up on her own, I got nowhere better to be."

If somebody was tired enough to crash out at a bench, waking them up was a dick move. Better to let Naoto rest, Kanji decided, as he quietly stepped closer to the table. Nobody out here to bother her. Definitely not him. He'd just check she was all right first.

…And maybe look at her. Only for a moment. With someone who spent half her waking hours looking as approachable as a brick, who'd blame him? He'd caught her sleeping once before (caught, not _watched_, watched would've been creepy) right after the team had pulled her out of the Secret Base and she'd been halfway through her second week of being deeply ungrateful. That'd been, what, only two months ago?

Two months. Lot of stuff was different now. Naoto included; Kanji remembered how she'd looked curled up on the sofa, her expression unguarded and the usual careful detachment gone. Now she seemed restless and taut even in her sleep. Her head wasn't tilted toward him enough to see her expression, but he'd already seen her arms twitch and her fingers clamp down tight on the sleeve of her coat.

Not like she'd sleep long out here, though. Too cold - which made it even weirder she'd fallen asleep to begin with. She was wearing her winter coat, but what if she was chilly and just too tired to notice? Or maybe she _liked_ the cold, Naoto liked all kinds of weird and unpleasant things. Maybe he should drape his own coat over her anyway to make sure - except she'd probably shoot him in the kneecaps when she woke up and realized just whose coat it was, or at least snap at him, and why he couldn't he decide which of those options was worse?

Kanji stared at her, limbs frozen, mind spinning.

His dilemma was rapidly solved. Teddie bounded across the food court, arms stretched out, and threw himself onto Naoto's back._ "Wake up, Nao-chan!"_

The sound that Naoto let out was dangerously close to a shriek.

Disorientated, pinned against the table, and unable to see who'd jumped on her, her response was - to Kanji's mind - totally reasonable. As he took an elbow to the ribs and a fist to the face at almost the same time, Teddie squealed and clutched wildly at her shoulders. "Ow! Nao-chan, stop it!"

"Wh-wh-what'reyou - T-Teddie! Unhand me _this instant_!"

A couple more elbows and he'd probably oblige. To speed things up, Kanji grabbed the hood of his coat and yanked him away from the table. "C'mere, bear!"

"I was just trying to help!" Ted protested, rubbing his jaw. "I never knew wake-up hugs could be so painful."

"I-I - w-why did you…" Naoto straightened her back and took a deep breath. By the time she'd smoothed down her hair and tugged her cap back on, she was calm enough to speak. "Teddie, that was _completely_ unnecessary."

"Of course it wasn't! This is no time to sleep, Kanji-chan needs your help studying." Teddie jabbed his thumb toward his chest. "I do too!"

Naoto narrowed her eyes. "…Studying what, exactly?"

_'How to score hot studs'_ was Kanji's unhappy first answer, but Teddie's expression turned serious. "In the summer, Sensei started teaching me how to write," he said, sliding into the seat opposite Naoto, "but I'm not that great yet and he's, you know. Busy. I need more lessons and Nao-chan's super-smart, almost as smart as Sensei!"

"I'm just as sm-" Naoto started - then stopped, adjusted her coat collar, and pursed her lips. "For future reference, I do not render assistance to people who jump on me."

Elbows on the table, Teddie leaned forward. "How about if they smooch you?"

Naoto leaned equally far back. "Souji-senpai will have time after Nanako-chan's recovery. You can resume lessons then."

"But that's the problem! I need to learn _before_ that!"

"What's the rush?" Kanji asked.

Teddie frowned down at his hands, his fingers splayed against the table. "I wanna write notes for Nana-chan for when she wakes up, so she'll know all the stuff I've been doing. I tell her every time I visit but she might not remember it all, and _I'd _hate missing out like that." He lifted his head. "I can't remember it all either. So I have to learn to write before I forget the rest."

Naoto and Kanji exchanged glances, and awkward expressions.

He looked at Teddie. "But ain't you s'posed to be working right now?"

Ted shrugged. "No customers. Except you and Nao-chan, but you can just tell me if you wanna buy anything."

"Very well. Kanji-kun and I will start on algebra." Naoto handed him a pen and pushed a sheet of lined paper across the table. "Begin your note, and once we've worked through this chapter's problem set, I'll help you with whatever you are unable to write."

Teddie beamed at her, bright and eager, then began scribbling.

In practice, 'starting on algebra' mostly meant Kanji poring over Naoto's neatly handwritten notes, while Naoto herself quickly finished half the textbook's example problems and moved on to trying to convince him that yes, he _did _know this material, the attendance records confirmed that he'd been present for all mathematics classes this semester. Kanji couldn't bring himself to point out that being in a class and getting any benefit out of it were two very different things - or to ask exactly how Naoto knew, and why she'd bothered to find out. Ted sat quietly beside him the whole time, chewing his borrowed pen and scrawling spidery jumbles that still made more sense than the mathematics notes.

"I hate this crap. Quadratics, x's, y's…" Kanji glowered at the textbook. Maybe if he glared hard enough, the stupid thing would catch fire. "The hell am I ever gonna need a _logarithm_ for."

"Earthquakes," Naoto said.

"Earthquakes?"

"The moment magnitude scale. It's logarithmic." She leaned forward and pointed to one of his half-finished answers. "Remember to multiply both sides of the equation."

Teddie put down the pen and held out his sheet of paper. "Nao-chan, I'm thirsty. Can you look at this while I get a drink?"

Naoto took the sheet with an distracted nod and an unhappy frown at the teeth marks on the pen cap.

"Get me something too, man." Kanji pulled his wallet from his coat pocket and took out a thousand-yen note. "Don't care what. And, uh, wh-whatever Naoto wants as well."

She looked at him, then at Teddie. "I -"

"You gave me something to drink at the station, alright?" Seriously, it was just a damn soda, wasn't like he was offering to make her a freaking four-course dinner (and never mind that he totally would if he thought for one second she might say yes). "I'm just returning the favour!"

Naoto blinked. "…I was going to request something caffeinated."

"There's a crate of Mad Bull in the main stockroom, Yosuke keeps taking them when he's on break." Teddie snatched the money from Kanji's hand and bounded away from the table. "I'll fetch you one!"

"You needn't go to such -" Naoto tried to call after him, but he was already through the store's sliding doors. She let out a small sigh, then picked up one of her non-chewed pens and turned her attention to his note.

Even earthquakes couldn't make logarithms interesting. Naoto was a different matter. Kanji watched her roll her pen between her fingers, use it to push up the brim of her cap - then, the moment she glanced up at him, immediately stared at Teddie's note instead. After a full minute, he still couldn't decipher any of the scribbles, or even tell the paper was upside down. "Can you actually read any a'that?"

"No, but the drawings in the margin appear to convey the general idea. How are you doing with that problem set?"

"Uh…not bad," Kanji lied. "Thanks for helping me. I forgot we even had exams, to be honest."

"A joint study session benefits us both," she said, rapid but firm. "I am equally under-prepared."

Either she was trying to be kind or she had way too high an opinion of Kanji's academic abilities. Both ideas were unlikely, no matter how insistent she sounded. Didn't really matter. Naoto could show up drunk, asleep or both and still ace every subject. For Kanji, a passing grade was a wild dream.

"Well, thanks for the help anyway. Promised Souji-senpai months ago I'd try to get better scores." He hesitated. Naoto was focused on Teddie's note. "Hey, uh…on Friday night. You sort things out with him?"

"To an extent."

"Thass good."

"Yes, it is." She still hadn't looked up. Kanji went back to trying to ignite the textbook.

Though he'd never admit it out loud, part of him had been relieved when Souji had first started blanking her. The rest was still supremely pissed at himself for being so gutless - but that didn't stop it from being true.

He glanced up just in time to catch Naoto yawn, one hand covering her mouth - and, the moment she realized he was watching, quickly swallow it. This pissed him off more than was reasonable. "Look, I already know you're tired," he muttered. "You were crashed out when I got here. What time did y'leave the cop shop last night?"

"Police station, Kanji-kun. It was around four in the morning."

"Hell were you doing that took so long?" More importantly, what was the point? "The case is over, you don't hafta-"

"All that is 'over'," Naoto cut in, pen gripped tight between her fingers, "is our jumping into a television and fighting Shadows. Prosecuting Namatame will not be trivial."

"But he did it! He took Nanako-chan, everyone saw him."

"No, they _didn't_. We did, but only inside the television. Other than when we brought them both back, they were never seen together by anyone outside the team." As she spoke, she tipped back her cap and started kneading her left temple. "The evidence is circumstantial at best."

No fricking way. They'd pulled that murdering bastard out so he could face justice in the real world. They could've left him there, let the Shadows rip him apart, but instead they'd done the right thing and now he'd get sent down, because _that was how it was supposed to work_. "That ain't good enough!" Kanji slammed a fist against the table. "He's gotta pay for what he did!"

"I _know_."

Naoto's voice had turned hollow, and he couldn't swallow the surge of guilt.

Why was he counting on her to fix everything? Shit, they were both still in high school, even if one of them _did_ have a smart job and act like she was forty. "Sorry. I-I'm not blaming you. You're doin' your best."

"Which will count for nothing if Namatame walks free."

"An' we're the only ones who know what he really deserves," Kanji muttered.

Naoto looked at him for a long moment, expression blank – then shook herself and gestured to the textbook. "Finish the problem set. We have a lot of material to cover."

* * *

**December 1****st****, 2011**

Predictably, exam week sucked. By Thursday, Kanji had given up – and, rather than spend the evening cramming, decided to head to the hospital with Rise. At least, that was the plan. Ten minutes had passed since the final bell and he was still waiting for her outside the main school building.

She'd hung around late yesterday, too. Kanji had been killing time while Kashiwagi bitched out Naoto in the faculty office, when he'd noticed Rise still standing by the window in classroom 1-2. He'd been on the verge of going in to talk with her - Kujikawa-san's words had been playing on his mind - but Naoto had slunk out of the office a moment later, muttering about how she'd already _finished_ her biology final, why did it matter that she'd fallen asleep afterwards, and retreating to the library had seemed the better option.

They'd gone there every afternoon this week, at Naoto's prompting. Though he appreciated it, he still didn't understand why she bothered. Helping him to fail less hard than expected seemed a wasted effort. A dozen Naotos probably couldn't help him pass, he thought, and promptly got a lot more hung up on the image than he should've.

"Kanji-kun?"

Kanji jolted against the wall. Twelve imaginary mini-detectives had coalesced into a single very real one, standing to his left and looking up at him. "I-I wasn't doin' anything!"

"Precisely. Therefore, I thought you might wish to go to the library." She eyed him carefully. "Were you waiting for someone?"

"Y-Yeah. Rise."

"Oh." Naoto folded her arms. "Well. I'm sure she'll be out soon."

It sounded like the end of a conversation, and he expected her to walk away. She didn't. Kanji started to feel vaguely uncomfortable.

_Say something, moron._ Ideally something that wouldn't piss her off. "You, uh, wanna come with us?" he tried, and although Naoto's eyes narrowed, he kept going. "We're gonna go see Nanako-chan. You could tag along."

For some reason, the offer seemed to placate her. He probably should've asked sooner.

She nodded. "Yes, I -"

"Hey, you two!" Chie had just walked out of the building, Yukiko close behind her. "Still haven't left?"

"Waiting for Rise. We're heading to the hospital," Kanji said, without thinking.

Chie's smile faltered. She recovered an instant later, but it didn't look the same. "That's great."

The silence that followed was heavier than the fog.

"…So, how are your finals going?" Yukiko managed a smile too: stiff, thin, and about as convincing as Chie's.

"Don't ask," grumbled Kanji.

"No idea," Naoto said, and shrugged. "I find it difficult to care at present."

Chie gave a sympathetic nod. "Oh man, I know the feeling."

Next to her, Yukiko let out a soft sigh. "Chie, you _never_ care about finals, except when you call me in a panic over not studying enough." She turned to Naoto before Chie could splutter out a response. "Souji's talking to you again, isn't he?"

Naoto hesitated. "…Yes."

Chie bit her lip. "What did you do?"

"I kept going to the hospital. And his house." At this, both Chie and Yukiko raised their eyebrows, and Naoto's cheeks flushed pink. "I-I didn't know what else to do," she said quietly.

"But you're both talking again," Yukiko repeated. "And he's forgiven you."

"…I don't know. He shouldn't."

"Quit saying that kinda crap," Kanji muttered, and ignored Naoto's razor-sharp glance. "You know it's not true."

"What's it matter anyway? At least you and him made up." Chie closed her eyes. "It was that stupid fight, I know it. And I didn't even mean - it wasn't our fault, why doesn't he _get_ that?"

"I'm sure he does," Yukiko began, one hand on Chie's shoulder, "it's just -" The sentence stopped short; Souji and Yosuke had just left the main building, and were heading for the bicycle stands. Yukiko's gaze landed on them, then flickered to Naoto - and she squared her shoulders. "Oh, I've had enough of this," she muttered, already stepping after the two boys. "Souji, Yosuke, wait!"

After a quick exchange of worried glances, Naoto, Chie and Kanji all followed.

Souji either hadn't heard Yukiko or didn't want to, because he didn't stop walking. Yosuke did. He grabbed Senpai's arm and turned them both toward her.

"Hello." Yukiko nodded to them both. "Souji, can we talk?"

He tried to pull away. "Not now, I have to- -"

"No, wait a sec." Yosuke's grip didn't loosen. "This was going to happen sooner or later."

"Souji, I won't pretend to know what you're going through, but I'm – we're your friends," Yukiko said. "And I don't understand why you're pushing us away."

"Yukiko's right." Chie was shifting in place, arm folded, one foot tapping against the ground. "Look - you, you don't have to explain stuff if you don't want to – but I'm really, really sorry about what I did in that fight, and I wish I could back and change things but I _can't_, and I - " She took a deep breath. "I just want all of us to get along."

He looked away. "Yeah. Sorry. Guess I'm not being a very good leader."

"C'mon, that's not what we're saying!"

"None of us would have made it this far without you. We can work together to get through the rest." One hand slightly raised, Yukiko stepped forward, but apparently thought better of it. "Chie and I would both love to visit Nanako-chan."

"Why don't you come with us today?" Yosuke said, then turned to Souji. "That's okay, right?"

Another example of Hanamura's talent for asking questions that, for anyone who didn't want to feel like an asshole, only had one decent answer. Souji handled this one about as effectively as Kanji had his. "…Sure."

Chie's face went slack with relief, then broke into the first genuine smile Kanji had seen on her all week. "That's great! We should get Rise-chan, she'll wanna go too. Wanna come inside with us, Naoto-kun?"

"No, I - I will wait here."

Too eager to ask twice, Chie was already jogging back toward the main building. Yukiko stalled. "Thank you, Souji."

It was a restrained reaction, especially compared to Chie's, but somehow it carried more weight, and Kanji couldn't help noticing the extra moment Souji held her gaze.

Once she was out of earshot, Yosuke sighed. "Wouldn't hurt to crack a smile, partner."

Souji's voice was almost too low to hear. "It isn't that simple."

Months ago, Kanji would've disagreed. Too many times he'd been frustrated with Naoto, the way she'd always over-complicated everything - except maybe she _hadn't_. Maybe her and Souji had been in the right all along.

"I don't get it, dude. You're usually so…" - a pause, like Yosuke was trying to pluck the right word from the fog - "…_nice_. You make friends with the most random people, you've got half the girls at school throwing themselves at you, and- -"

"It never _mattered_ before. I just needed everyone's- -" Souji closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his expression was as smooth as unbroken water. "It doesn't matter."

Yosuke looked taken aback. "What doesn't?"

"Nothing major." The delivery was too fluid to be reassuring. It felt more like the slamming of a door. "I'll be waiting by the gate."

Only when he'd disappeared into the fog did Naoto move to follow him. The glance she darted at Kanji on the way was almost too brief to catch, never mind decode.

"Gotta give Shirogane credit. She doesn't quit." Head tilted back, Yosuke stared up at the fog. "And it kinda worked."

"You made him stay an' talk," Kanji said.

"Somebody had to."

"Didn't expect it. Thought you were on his side."

Yosuke's eyes went wide. "_Sides_? You're kidding me, right? C'mon, Tatsumi, you seriously think that's how things are?"

"No." Having that confirmed would've felt good if Hanamura hadn't sounded so genuinely hurt. "Sorry, man. Just, you and him. You're close."

"Souji's the smartest, coolest guy I know, no question - but he's got it wrong this time. It's gonna be fine, though. I've got a plan."

Kanji frowned. "Last plan you had, we ended up wearin' dresses."

"Nah, this one'll work. Have faith in my genius!" Yosuke's grin looked genuinely earnest. "And don't count on studying tomorrow evening."

* * *

**December 2****nd****, 2011**

"I still say this is weird." Souji's gaze shifted from Yosuke to the hazy, placid surface of the Samegawa. "And we should be studying for tomorrow's finals."

"If we don't know it by now, we'll never know it," Yosuke said cheerfully. "And I never knew it at all."

Souji had a point, though. Not about the studying - to hell with that - but the strangeness of what amounted to a night-time riverside picnic in December. Though the fog had swallowed the breeze, the air still carried a bitter chill, and if they could barely see the water then what was the point in coming to the river at all? "I ain't sayin' this is a bad idea," Kanji began, "but-"

"Then don't say anything," Yosuke cut in.

Chie nodded. "Yosuke's right. This is team-bonding time, so no slacking off!"

Souji frowned at the fog in general. "Can't we bond indoors?"

Good question. Unfortunately, Yosuke was distracted by the plastic bags in Chie's hands. "Wait, what did you bring?"

"It's not a picnic without home-made snacks!" she said, in the easy manner of someone who refused to admit she'd forever fail at cooking. "I, um, kinda ended up with more than I expected, so make sure you eat plenty."

Souji paled, and Yosuke whispered, "Oh, crap."

"Don't worry, Senpai!" Rise smirked and lifted her wicker basket. "I made some too."

This tipped Yosuke over the edge into theatrics, which Rise ignored in favour of following Chie down the steps to the riverbank. While Yosuke raged about the unfairness of life, specifically every girl he knew repeatedly trying to poison him, Yukiko stepped closer to Kanji, her own bag clutched to her chest. "Please tell me you brought something, Kanji-kun."

"Yeah, we're good." The omelette cook-off had taught him a valuable lesson. One that made him warily eye Yukiko's bag. "So, uh, did you-"

"One of the chefs at the inn took care of it." She smiled. "We're good."

A one-in-two chance of food poisoning was better than three in four. Kanji gave her a thumbs-up and descended the steps to the bank.

If 'team-bonding' meant 'patching things up with Souji', the evening didn't start well. He wandered down the shoreline as soon as the first blanket was laid on the ground, and Yosuke soon followed. Still, the five left behind did the best they could. Yukiko and Kanji laid out more blankets, Rise and Chie unpacked the snacks and drinks, and everyone ignored Teddie pestering them for their phone numbers. Something about a cellphone Yosuke had given him, and how anyone who didn't reveal their number might miss out on a hot date. Fifteen minutes later, Naoto arrived - and, after dodging Ted's demands, went to stand on one of the flat stone outcroppings that stretched into the river. Kanji settled on a blanket and tried not to watch her.

It felt good to do stuff as a group that didn't involve kicking Shadow butt. Last time was the ryokan, and in that case he would've taken his chances with the Shadows. He'd expected this picnic to turn out even worse - all stiff silences and nobody saying what they really meant – but in practice, the atmosphere wasn't too awkward. Even Rise, who been worrying him more than Souji, seemed less edgy than he'd expected. Definitely better than she'd been at the hospital last night. She was even chatting a little with Chie and Yukiko, a conversation that somehow culminated in Chie showing off her cartwheels and back-flips along the shore.

"Wow, Chie-senpai." Rise sounded envious. "I used to be limber for dance routines, but not like _that_."

Chie waved her off. "Oh, anyone can do this, it just takes practice. Want me to show you? We can start with handstands."

"Uh, not in this outfit. Not all of us are wearing shorts, Senpai."

"Come on!" Chie looked crestfallen. "Honestly, you're as bad as Yukiko."

Both Rise and Yukiko glanced at each other - probably wondering who'd give in first - before Ted raised his hand. "I'll try!"

"Great! C'mon, we need a nice, level surface for this." Chie led him onto the same outcropping as Naoto, who looked a little annoyed at the interruption. "Right, watch first, then try to copy me."

She kicked up into a handstand in a single fluid motion. Beside her, Ted immediately tumbled forward into something that would've looked kind of like a handstand if not for the flailing legs.

"You were supposed to watch me!" Chie complained. "Naoto-kun, are his legs straight? I can't see from here."

Absently, Kanji noted that Naoto had stepped directly between Teddie and the edge of the rocks. It didn't seem important.

She glanced at Teddie, then frowned at the river behind her. "No, they aren't - but should you really be doing this so close to -"

"My arms hurt, Chie-chan!" They'd been trembling since Ted started the handstand. "And I don't know how to get down again!"

Chie tipped forward onto her feet, bracing her legs against the ground. "It's okay, just let yourself fall and- -"

Teddie did exactly as she said. Unfortunately, he did it in the wrong direction - and Naoto, preoccupied with the river, failed to notice.

Considering how light they both were and that the water was knee-high at most, they made a pretty loud splash. A sliver of Kanji's mind was impressed. The rest had launched his body forward as soon as Teddie began to tilt backwards, already knowing it wouldn't make a difference. Even Chie hadn't been close enough to help, and Yosuke and Souji had been too far away to see anything through the fog. They'd just heard the splash and Teddie's muffled yell, must've figured the two were a bad combination, and jogged back up the shore. Soon the whole team stood on the flat outcropping, staring at the two figures in the river below (except for Yukiko, who'd doubled over giggling instead.)

Ted was sitting in the shallow water, a hatless Naoto on her knees beside him. "Don't worry, Chie-chan! I figured out how to get down!"

"Jeez, Teddie! And Yukiko, you're _not_ helping."

Naoto shot Teddie a dark glare, lifted her hand to where her cap would normally be - and realized it wasn't. She shot to her feet, wide eyes frantically scouring the water.

"Better move fast, Naoto, or the Guardian'll eat it!" Yosuke crowed, then winced at the elbow Souji jabbed into his ribs.

All of Ted's apologies to Naoto had fallen on deaf (and indignant) ears. He stood, and shivered. "Ow, it's _cold_."

"It's kind of my fault you fell in." Hand held out, Chie knelt down at the edge of the rocks. "C'mon, we'll pull you up and you can borrow my jacket."

Ted's face lit up. "Wow, wearing a beautiful girl's clothes! Just like the time I borrowed Nao-chan's-"

Naoto shoved him into the water again.

"Naoto-kun!" Chie scolded.

"Accident," Naoto said, and went back to hunting for her cap.

By the time she found it and fished it from the water, Yosuke and Chie had already hauled Teddie out and were trying to dry him off with a spare blanket. The instant refusal when Kanji offered to help her too wasn't surprising - but it only took two failed attempts at climbing onto the ledge before she grabbed his hand and let him pull her up. He figured this was progress.

Now recovered, Yukiko pulled off Teddie's soggy coat and draped it over a rock near the steps. Chie wrapped her green puffy jacket around his shoulders. "C'mon, put this on before you freeze."

Wait. Ted was cold. Naoto probably was too. Might explain why her face was so flushed. And if Chie was acting chivalrous for Teddie…

Kanji wriggled out of his coat and thrust it in Naoto's general direction. "H-Here."

Naoto stared at it as if it might bite, then shot exactly the same look at him. "Unneces-"

"Take his coat, Naoto-kun," Chie threatened cheerfully, "or I'll put it on you myself."

Much like Rise, Chie had a knack for making people do what she wanted – just for a totally different reason. Naoto snatched Kanji's coat from his hands. He tried to return her mumbled thanks with a nod, but she'd already started glaring holes in the ground instead.

"You're both drenched." Souji frowned at Teddie and Naoto in turn. "We should head back."

Putting on the coat would've been easier if Naoto wasn't still clutching her hat. So far, she'd only worked her way into one of the sleeves. "Senpai, it would be pointless to return so soon after arriving. I will be fine."

"Nao-chan's right," Teddie said. "Besides, Chie-chan, Rise-chan and Yuki-chan will surely share their body heat with Teddie!" He flopped down on a blanket between Chie and Yukiko, earning a yelp from both. "And Nao-chan's got Kanji-chan."

Chie squirmed away. "Ted, why do you make everything sound so awful?"

In all other situations, Kanji would second that - but holding Naoto could _never_ sound awful. It was, however, an awful idea, especially if he was planning on speaking with her ever again.

"All right," Souji said, though he didn't look convinced. "But if either of you start feeling unwell, let the rest of us know and we'll head back."

"Here, Kanji-kun, please put this with Teddie's." Yukiko handed him Naoto's coat.

Damp wool needed proper drying, or it'd smell like a wet sheep a day later. Leaving the coat on a rock wouldn't cut it. Kanji put it down on one of Ted's discarded blankets first and tried to press as much water as possible out of the hem and sleeves. He lifted his head, wondering if there was some way to hang the thing up, and noticed Naoto watching him.

Dammit, _why_ was she watching? Didn't she trust him with her stuff? He'd considered offering to dry her waterlogged hat too, but now he didn't dare. He stalked over to the steps, coat in hand, and laid it on the same rock as Ted's.

On their blanket, he could see Chie and Yukiko both swatting Teddie away. Naoto stood next to them, Kanji's coat down to her knees and dangling over her hands. Yosuke was sitting cross-legged on a neighbouring blanket and talking at Rise, while she fiddled with the plastic boxes in her basket and pretended not to watch Souji heading off down the shoreline again.

Shit, why didn't she just talk to him?

Everyone knew Rise had a thing for Souji, maybe including Senpai himself, yet as far as Kanji knew she'd never come close to fessing up. All the times she'd poked him into approaching Naoto, and they were both still sitting in the same boat. Kanji could only see two differences in their situation: that the rest of the team treated _his_ crush as legitimate, and that Souji might actually have noticed Rise.

Kanji sat down midway up the steps and leaned back on his elbows - close enough to still see everyone through the fog, and far enough that he wouldn't have to talk with them. Nothing against the others. Just didn't feel very sociable anymore.

This made it all the more awkward when Naoto started walking toward him.

Soon as she was within hearing range, he pointed at the rock. "Your – your coat's fine. S'there next to Ted's."

"Yes, it is." She stopped at the base of the steps. "May I sit here?"

"Uh," said Kanji.

"Due to the loan of your coat, it would be expedient for us to remain proximate in case you should require me to return it." It was stilted, clipped, and very hard for him to follow. Naoto tried to fuss with her hair at the end, but only managed to flap a sleeve into her face.

Still looked cute. Way cuter than she should've. First time he'd seen a Naoto swamped in over-sized clothes, it'd zapped him in the head with a laser a few minutes later. Kanji looked at her for a moment – chin tipped up, fixing him with a stare that edged close to a glare – and swallowed. "Y-Yeah. Smart idea."

With a brief nod, she sat sideways on the step four down from his own and drew her knees up to her chest. "Are you and your mother on good terms again?" she asked.

"Been talking to me fine. S'just hard to talk back."

"She clearly cares for you a great deal."

"I know. That's why it's difficult."

Naoto didn't say anything to that. Since she was drowning in his coat, it was difficult to be certain, but it looked like she was shivering.

"Still cold?" he asked.

She hesitated. "Slightly."

…Sharing heat, Ted had said. Bear might've been on to something. Equally, Kanji might get shot just for considering said something.

Maybe he wouldn't bother wondering.

He pushed himself down the steps one at a time, both hands bearing his weight, until he was two steps above her. Naoto jolted. "Wh-What are you doing?"

"Shift 'round," he muttered.

Later that evening, he'd try and fail to decide what was more surprising: that he'd had the balls to ask, or that Naoto did what he said. It left her sitting with her back to him and her feet resting on a lower step. He moved down again so he was directly behind her, and stretched his legs out either side.

Naoto huddled into the borrowed coat. "Y-You don't - this isn't necessary."

Probably wasn't helpful either, since she'd hunched forward away from him. The whole thing felt kind of stupid - but to hell with it, she'd have to move before he would. Kanji placed both hands on her shoulders to hold his coat in place. "T-Ted's got people helpin' him to keep warm."

Admittedly, Ted had just thrown himself at everyone till they got tired of complaining, but he looked happy wedged between Chie and Yosuke. Yosuke seemed less content. Chie just looked nervous, and kept shooting glances at Ted that wound up focused on Hanamura instead.

Naoto watched them for a moment, then mumbled, "You're the one now lacking a coat. You would be in more need of warmth."

"Then this benefits us both. Right?"

No answer. And she still hadn't pulled away.

Hours passed. Or felt like they did. In reality, they'd been sitting in silence for only a few minutes - Kanji feeling sick and awkward and stoked all at the same time, how the hell was that possible - when he heard a rustling in the bushes near the top of the steps.

Startled, Naoto twisted to look even before he did, bracing herself against his right leg and peering around his side. "…Never mind. It's just a cat."

He glanced over his shoulder. "Hey, I know that one." Mostly white with a few random black splotches, like she'd splashed around in paint. "I helped Souji-senpai feed her a couple of times."

"Feed her?"

"Senpai's big into cats, 'specially strays. Told me he'd like help feeding two he met by the river, he already had five others waiting outside his door each night and his uncle was getting pissed."

The cat sat at the top of the steps for a few moments longer - probably wondering if Kanji had brought dinner - before trotting away along the path.

He looked down at Naoto. She'd settled back against him and was rubbing her hands together to warm them. Kanji was smart enough not to try to help. Didn't mean he didn't want to. He wasn't doing much better, though, with a sweater that was useless at keeping out the chill. Not that Naoto needed to know that.

"If those cats are amenable to humans, they are most likely abandoned rather than feral, explaining why they have trouble catching enough prey to feed on," she said. "You could likely adopt one as a pet."

"Nah, Ma wouldn't be happy. Fur all over the stock. My dad liked dogs but he used to say he'd never hear the end of it if he brought one home." He shifted against the step; Naoto leaned back. "You, uh, got any pets at your granddad's place?"

"There would be no point given the infrequency of my visits. He does keep Akitas as guard dogs, though - and my grandmother owned a cat while I lived with her," Naoto said. "A grey tabby."

"Thought your granddad took you in after - you know."

"After my parents died?" she filled in. "My grampa was the terminal point. Prior to that, I was placed with various relatives on a short term basis."

"They were trying to figure out who'd look after you?"

"Yes."

"How old were you?"

A pause. "Five. You?"

"Ten."

A silence curled around them - not unpleasant, but not quite comfortable. Given the topic, it was probably for the best. Unfortunately, it left Kanji with no distractions, a rapidly dwindling supply of courage, and a Naoto sitting considerably closer to him than she'd started out.

It didn't _mean_ anything, just the difference between hunching forward and leaning back, but knowing that didn't stop his heart thudding against his ribs. His left foot had started tapping out a matching rhythm on one of the lower steps. If it bothered Naoto, she said nothing. Didn't move, either. The muscles in her shoulders had tensed beneath his hands, he could tell that even through the coat, but he couldn't feel them rise and fall with her breathing. Hell, maybe she'd stopped. Kanji was rapidly finding it a challenge.

He'd told Rise he wanted to try with Naoto, work up the guts to confess even though she'd shoot him down. Then November had happened, and nothing had felt right since. Waiting till things were back to normal was the only responsible choice. It was also a great excuse for stalling.

Kanji wished he could've said it didn't matter if she rejected him, that getting his feelings off his chest would be enough, and he'd thought it _would_ - until last Friday, when he'd realized what he stood to lose. Whether by words or actions, only four people had ever convinced him they accepted who he was. Last thing he wanted was to cut that down to three.

Kanji squeezed Naoto's shoulders, just a little, and tried not to think too hard. He was a little startled when she spoke. "You're shivering."

Naoto had a knack for being observant whenever he didn't want her to be. "N-Nah! Just fine."

"Please don't take me for a fool, Kanji-kun." She stood and took off the coat, then bundled it in his lap. "Here. You clearly need it."

Kanji looked at her, then down at his temptingly warm-looking coat.

…Screw it. She had him sussed anyway. "Okay, fine," he said. "But you need it too - so we'll switch off, yeah? I take it for a while, then you."

"That would be acceptable." Her mouth quirked into an unexpected half-smile. Kanji managed a quick and bashful one in return.

"Hey, Nao-chan!"

Preoccupied with Naoto - like _that_ was new - Kanji hadn't noticed Teddie walking up behind her. "Nao-chan, I want to ask you something."

Naoto glowered. "I refuse to share any form of heat with you."

"No, I'd ask Kanji-chan for that, he's bigger." Ted's expression turned determined. "Can I talk to you? In private."

Questions like that would usually make Kanji want to dump certain bears straight back in the river, but this time it sounded genuine. Naoto looked unconvinced. "Teddie," she began, fingers pinching the bridge of her nose, "if this is some attempt to-"

"Please? It won't take long."

Sparkles had to be impending. Naoto gave in. "Very well."

They both walked a short distance along the beach in the same direction as Souji. Kanji shrugged his coat back on and told himself he wouldn't watch them - but his eyes were drawn by Ted's hand gestures, most of which seemed directed at Senpai. The longer the conversation went on, the more concerned Naoto looked, and the more glances she shot at Souji. Kanji's efforts to figure out why were interrupted by a hand waving in front of his face. "Kanji-kun, you're staring.'

"_You've_ spent half the evening gawking at Souji-senpai," he muttered. "And you look miserable every time y'do it."

Rise leaned against the handrail that led up the steps. "Since when did you pay so much attention?"

"Wasn't doing handstands or falling in the river, so I had a lot of free time." He folded his arms. "So, what's up?"

"Just stuff." She chewed at her thumbnail. "I know Souji-senpai's dealing with a lot right now, but I just - I need to talk with him."

"Then why ain't you done it?"

"He was busy with Yosuke-senpai earlier."

"And now he's not."

Rise lifted her head, and her expression hurt to look at. "He's gonna – he'll think I'm nuts, Kanji-kun. Maybe I am. It's this fog." She closed her eyes. "I keep trying so hard not to listen."

"…Listen to what?"

"You wouldn't understand unless you heard it."

He frowned, not comprehending. "You mean like in the fight?"

"That was different. I thought about what you said – and I can deal with what I heard then, because I know we're all good people, we just have a few bad parts," she said, eyes still shut and voice increasingly unsteady. "The problem is what I'm hearing now."

Souji would know how to handle this. Kanji, on the other hand, was at a loss. He was still grasping for the right words when Rise latched onto his arm.

"It won't go away." Her eyes were wide open. "It's like scanning inside the television, but all the time, and I can hear _everyone_."

"Tell Senpai. He can tell alla'us how to fix it, he always does. Just ain't been himself lately."

Rise chuckled weakly, though Kanji wasn't sure why. "He's really good at acting, you know. Being what everyone wants. But he can't do it right now and I don't think anyone gets that."

Both her hands were still clutching his arm. Souji was still standing by the water.

Kanji eased out of her grip and looked down at her. "But maybe somebody could."

The hurt expression when he broke away lasted barely a moment. She blinked up at him, looked at Souji – then walked down to the river, steps nervous but quick.

When he realized where she was headed, Teddie's hand gestures and his conversation with Naoto both stopped dead. They both watched in silence – Ted looking surprised, Naoto's expression impossible to read – as Rise approached Souji, hands clasped in front of her, and started talking to him. Kanji couldn't hear her words and both of them were slightly hazy in the fog – but he still saw Souji nod, just once, and Rise take hold of his hand.

* * *

**December 3****rd****, 2011**

"So what price range are you looking at?" Yosuke asked.

Souji had checked two price tags so far and winced at both. This was the third. "No sales pitches, Yosuke."

"Hey, that's not fair! I'm getting you staff discount on this!"

Junes had caused little but trouble for Inaba's old stores and businesses, but Kanji could understand its popularity. The store had _everything_ - and a lot of it. The furniture section was no exception: seven kotatsu models on display and, according to Yosuke, eight more available on special order. The largest one wouldn't have fit any living room Kanji had seen. Souji kept walking around the various models, looking at them in a way that suggested he wasn't actually seeing them.

Yosuke and Chie's tactic had been sound, going to Souji rather than waiting for him to come to them, and it seemed like he was trying – but it still hadn't fixed things. By now, Kanji wasn't sure what would.

Fifteen minutes later, Souji still hadn't decided. Even Yosuke seemed less enthusiastic, and Kanji was grateful when Rise, Naoto and Teddie appeared at the top of the escalator nearby.

Ted beamed at Souji and ran toward him, almost tripping into an old woman's shopping cart on the way. "Hey, Sensei! Did - sorry, lady! - did you pick a kotatsu for Nana-chan yet?"

"Nope. Find any good toys for her?"

"Is Nanako-chan too young for video games?" Naoto asked, looking hopeful.

If Yosuke had been standing on the other side of the shop floor, Kanji still would've seen his eyes light up. "Dude, that's an awesome idea! We could get a PS2 pretty cheap, couple of games, she'd love it!"

"Correction: _you_ would. Let's stick to Loveline or toy animals for Nanako-chan." Souji quirked an eyebrow at Naoto. "Or my uncle's going to think you're a bad influence, Naoto-kun."

Surprisingly, this didn't get a rise out of her. Not a hint of indignation. She just went quiet instead.

No matter how exhausted she looked, Rise was still ready to pick up the slack. Kanji hadn't known a pout could look so irritated. "We checked out the stuffed bears too, Senpai. Every shelf I looked at had a mini-Risette at the front." She glared at Teddie. "'Bonus Bouncing Bikini' edition."

"Teddies and Rise-chans belong together," Ted said with a solemn nod.

Rise ignored him. "It's your job to keep an eye on him, Yosuke-senpai! Those dolls really _aren't_ for kids, you know?"

"Then who are they - " Naoto's blush would've rivaled a stoplight. "Oh."

"Yep. Maybe I should get Souji-senpai one for his birthday."

"That's not till February," Souji pointed out.

Ted's face fell. "It isn't?"

"Why's it matter?" Kanji said. "Senpai's still gonna be in town."

"But I won't." Teddie frowned at the nearest kotatsu, flipping the price tag back and forth. "I don't wanna leave before Nanako-chan gets better...but you kept your promise to me. So I have to keep mine, too."

Rise gave a gentle tug on the drawstring of his coat's hood. "Don't be silly. Nanako-chan would be really sad if you weren't there when she wakes up."

"Dude, nobody said you had to go anywhere. You can stay as long as you want." Yosuke glanced at Souji. "Right, partner?"

"Of course."

Would've been nice if Souji had sounded like he really meant that. Kanji hoped he did, and just didn't have it in him to show it.

He tapped a fist against Ted's shoulder. "Anyway, man, you can't leave before you try out a kotatsu. Cold winter's day, snuggled up with your legs warm - there's nothin' like it."

Teddie turned to Naoto. "Nao-chan, will you snuggle with me?"

"No."

"Rise-ch-"

"Nope."

"You're both so _cruel_," he lamented, then looked up at Kanji. "How about you, Kanji-chan?"

Kanji's instinctive response was: _are you gonna be in that fuzzy suit_. Fortunately, he caught it on its way to his mouth and turned it into a growl instead. "Dammit, don't call me that!"

"Oh well." Teddie shrugged. "Hey, Chie-chan, Yuki-chan! Do you want to snuggle?" he called.

Several customers turned to stare. At the top of the escalator, Chie and Yukiko shot him equally mortified glares.

"Try to keep it down, Ted," Yosuke muttered, though he seemed more interested in Yukiko's shopping basket. Looking closely, Kanji could understand why. Crabmeat, maple syrup, pickled daikon, miso paste...did they have an actual recipe in mind, or were they just going to sling it all in a pot and take cover?

Yosuke eyed the basket like it might explode. "Tangerines, you said."

"Yes, we found them." Yukiko's expression turned sheepish. "And a few other things."

"I had a great idea for Nanako-chan's welcome-home meal," Chie said, and either missed or ignored Yosuke's wince. "So, we got ingredients for a test-run!"

"Which you're totally not gonna charge to me, right?"

She frowned. "Why would we do something like that?"

"Remember the clothes you got for Ted? I do!" Yosuke threw up his hands. "You have any idea how much overtime I had to work to pay that off?"

"Well, _I _can't help it if Junes overcharges for things," Chie shot back, arms folded. "Maybe you should write a letter to head office."

"Guess I can't blame you for getting over-excited. Not like you've ever had the chance to help a guy shop before!"

Yukiko, Kanji and Rise all winced.

"_What_ did you just say?" roared Chie.

Teddie stepped in - arms spread magnanimously, voice honey-smooth. "C'mon, baby. Don't fight over-"

"_Stay out of this!_"

At least Chie and Yosuke could agree on _something_. Yukiko ushered Ted away. "Believe me, Teddie, it's not worth trying."

"Yeah, let's ride it out upstairs," Rise said. "I wanna go check out the girls' clothing."

Kanji blinked at her. "You like Junes stuff?"

"Not really, but I'm trying to talk Naoto-kun into wearing a dress and we've gotta start looking somewhere. C'mon, Senpai." Rise looped her arm through Souji's and gently tugged him toward the escalators, Teddie following close behind. Naoto kept her eyes on them as they left.

Kanji looked at her, eyebrows raised. "Y-You're gonna let her put you in a-"

"Not if I can help it," she interrupted, cheeks dusted light pink. "But Rise is - having certain difficulties at present, and the idea of me in a dress is inexplicably delightful to her."

"I think you'd look pretty," Yukiko offered hopefully. Naoto darkened from pink to red.

"Should probably go check 'em out with her," Kanji said, mostly to distract himself from blushing too. "Damage control."

Naoto glanced at her watch. "No, it's already eight-thirty. I need to leave for the police station."

"But exam week just finished," Yukiko said. "I'm sure nobody would mind if you took a break, right?"

"I neglected my casework during our finals, Yukiko-senpai. I need to catch up. I apologize." Naoto gave a quick bow, nodded to Kanji, then walked toward the downward escalator. On the way, she stopped beside Yosuke – now in the final throes of his quarrel with Chie - and handed him a small note-card. Chie glanced at it and said something Kanji didn't catch, before heading upstairs with Yukiko.

Finally, his curiosity won out, and he went to peer at the card over Yosuke's shoulder. It looked like a calendar. "Whassat?"

"The Shirogane Souji-schedule for the next two weeks." Yosuke pointed at the neat row of coloured names at the bottom. "And it's _colour-coded_. You realize you're crushing on a total dork?"

"Shut it. When's my shift?"

After studying the card for a second, he frowned. "…You don't have one. Weird. But Naoto's doing double duty. You should swap with her."

Should, not could. The difference wasn't lost on Kanji. He turned away. "C'mon, we gotta catch up with the others."

Upstairs, the Junes clothing department was a sprawling maze of garment racks and badly dressed mannequins. With the benefit of experience, Yosuke easily cut a path through to where the others were standing: Rise paging idly through a rack of pastel dresses, Yukiko holding up different coloured cardigans against Chie, and Souji already wilting with boredom.

"…Like a Sunday trip," Chie was saying. "We could go someplace where it isn't foggy all the time."

Rise glanced over her shoulder. "I'd really like that. Maybe Okina."

Teddie stuck his head through the rack of dresses; Rise squeaked. "What's in Okina, Rise-chan?"

"Shops, mostly. With _tons_ of pretty dresses."

"Damn it, don't encourage him," Yosuke grumbled. "It's bad enough that he keeps trying to wear that stupid blue maid outfit at breakfast!"

Man, Naoto's weird dress. Ted could do so much better. "Weren't you gonna give that back to Naoto after the pageant?"

_"Dude_." The gleam in Yosuke's eyes would've lit up a baseball stadium. "That was Naoto's?"

…Oh, _shit_.

Five pairs of eyes turned on Kanji, and he fought the urge to run out the store. "Uh – I-I -"

"That's right!" Teddie said, and, before Kanji could throttle him, added, "Nao-chan bought the dress when she was helping me get ready for the pageant."

Everyone seemed cool with this explanation - except Yosuke, who cocked an eyebrow. "When did she have time to go shopping? And where'd she get it?"

"Dunno. But it took a while for her to get back, and that's why I was late going on stage."

"Yeah, I remember _that_. I thought you'd bailed out."

"Kind of a shame he didn't." Chie grinned. "Pretty little Hanamura-chan might've been Miss Yasogami!"

"With the crap you made me wear? I swear, Satonaka, you have no clue how girls dress!"

Another high-volume quarrel ignited. Kanji slunk behind a rack of Capri pants and tried to look inconspicuous.

Judging by the raised voices, Yukiko and Rise soon got involved in the argument too. Security would chuck them out at this rate, Yosuke included – but on the bright side, Naoto might let Kanji live. Flush with relief, and trying hard to ignore the racket, he didn't notice Teddie until he peered over the rack. "These pants won't suit you, Kanji-chan."

"Why the hell would I even pick'em up? Junes only sells crap," Kanji snapped, then realized he probably should've complained about the Capri part first. Ted didn't seem to mind. "Hey, how come you didn't fess up 'bout Naoto's dress?"

"Remember when we were going home from the river?" Ted whispered, and Kanji nodded. "Nao-chan walked next to me. She said that if I _ever_ told anyone else about her dress, she'd lock me up in jail for a million years, then let me out, then throw me back in for a billion more."

"That's rough, man."

"I don't mind, though. I haven't seen any dresses here as nice as the one she gave me, and she said I could keep it!"

Ted had awful taste, but the gift was probably for the best. In his full pageant get-up, he'd _almost_ made the dress look good. Trying to picture Naoto wearing it gave Kanji a headache. Didn't help that his imaginary dress-wearing Naoto was still in her cap and brandishing a pistol.

Someone's cellphone rang. He looked back at the others – the argument had petered out into banter – and noticed Souji step aside and flip open his phone. Senpai looked a little irritated at first, like he'd prefer not to talk to whoever was calling. Five seconds later, he turned white.

In the few long strides it took Kanji to reach him, he'd already hung up. Souji stared into space, opened his mouth, closed it again – and his gaze snapped to the others. "We – we have to go."

The banter stopped dead. Yosuke's eyes turned wary. "Go where? What's – "

"The hospital. Nanako-chan's..." Souji shoved through the group and headed for the escalators. "We have to go. _Now_."


	33. Interlude 8

_Doing my best to improve my update rate. Combination of RL commitments, overly long chapters, fussiness. Sorry, I know the wait is frustrating. Really appreciate those of you who are sticking with the story nonetheless. (Just realized it broke 200K words last chapter? Terrifying)_

_This interlude covers Dec 3rd. Next episode will have a dose of levity. Advance warning - we veer slightly away from the game's plotline over the next few installments.  
_

_Story so far: The team tried to build bridges via a picnic and shopping trip – culminating in a phone call Souji never wanted to receive._

_In this interlude: Namatame is still a threat, but Naoto finds the perfect solution._

* * *

**December 3****rd****, 2011**

The records room in the Inaba police station was close to the center of the building, and had no cellphone reception. Naoto hadn't thought this would ever matter.

She'd been poring over shelves of dusty folders – some stuffed with yellowing paperwork that dated back two generations - in the hope of finding some clue that could be used in the case, some past reference to Namatame that the other investigators had missed. The Inaba department was nothing if not hopelessly disorganized and after two hours she'd conceded defeat. Not until she was back at her desk, ten minutes later, did she think to check her phone.

Naoto entered the hospital lobby almost at a jog, Rise's choked message – that it didn't matter what Naoto was doing, she needed to get to the hospital _right now_ - still echoing in her head. It had taken too long to get here; Inaba's only cab company had few drivers willing to risk the fog and she hadn't felt able to ask any of her colleagues for transport. Ishikawa had been the one she'd finally approached, if only because he had always treated her as indifferently as everyone else. She'd been surprised that he agreed. As she stood in the elevator, she wondered whether she'd remembered to thank him.

Nanako's room was on the fifth floor. Naoto had expected to see the team standing in the corridor outside, but instead found only Rise and Kanji – the former hunched over in a chair, the latter standing by the window and staring at the floor. "Rise-chan?"

Rise shot to her feet. "Naoto-kun! I-I'm sorry, I should've called sooner, we were just rushing here and-"

"It's fine. How is Nanako-chan?"

The question needn't have been asked. Rise's expression was answer enough. "N-Not good. The doctors said she might - " She bit her lip and shook her head.

Naoto glanced at Kanji. He hadn't spoken since her arrival. She wasn't certain he had even looked up.

She turned back to Rise. "I assume the senpai are- -"

The sentence was cut off by a sudden cry from inside Nanako's room. It was painful, rough-edged, and though Naoto couldn't discern any words – couldn't even be certain who'd made it - its meaning was obvious.

Rise stared at the door, eyes already glistening. "Oh, _no..._" She stepped back once, twice, then crumpled into the chair she'd stood from and started sobbing.

Numbly, Naoto sat down beside her. The door to the room clicked open, and she turned to see Dojima walking out, closely followed by one of the doctors.

" – did everything we could, but we just ran out of time," the doctor was saying. She couldn't see his face – Kanji was blocking her view – but the sorrow in his voice was evident.

Dojima made no response. As he limped down the corridor past her, Naoto saw his expression perfectly, and wished she hadn't.

Though they'd frequently clashed during in the summer, she respected Dojima. He deserved his privacy. But Rise - whose sobs were closer to convulsions, who hadn't even looked up at the sound of the opening door - Rise, Naoto could help to calm, so that Souji wouldn't have to-

The thought was shattered by Kanji's pained roar and the sickening thud of his knuckles against the corridor wall.

Part of Naoto's mind was instinctively disgusted by this lack of self-control. Another was concerned by the potential damage to his hand. Another still looked at him – shoulders heaving, palms and head pressed against the wall – and wished desperately she could fix things. "Kanji-kun- -" she began, but she'd opened her mouth without knowing what to say. Then he glanced sideways, caught her eye, and she realized she never would.

Comforting others was too foreign a task. She'd gripped Rise's shoulder at some point, her hand moving with each shuddering sob, but Naoto had no idea what else to do, just that it was vital to do _something,_ if only to avoid thinking about- -

No. Process it later.

Footsteps sounded down the corridor to her left. Shoes, not slippers, and therefore unlikely to be Dojima's. She peered around Rise and saw Adachi ambling toward them, suit rumpled and tie typically askew.

"Hey, Shirogane - what's with Dojima-san?" he asked. "He's given me some looks before, but..."

Kanji, still leaning against the wall, did not look up. "Hell are you doin' back here."

"Nothing much. Why, what's wrong?" A slow dread crept over Adachi's face. "Wait...is Nanako-chan-"

"_Don't_ act like you frickin' care." Kanji pivoted to face him, fists tight. "'Or d'you still want me to put you through a TV?"

Such an overreaction was partially excusable given the circumstances, but one of them ought to keep their composure. Naoto laid a hand on his forearm. "Kanji-kun, there's no-"

The door opened a second time. She'd expected Souji, but Yosuke walked out instead.

"Souji...asked me to check on his uncle," he said, voice still rough and unsteady. Naoto wondered if it was his cry she'd heard. "Make sure he gets back to his room."

Adachi blinked. "Uh...he was kinda heading in the wrong direction."

"Dojima-san was walking toward the elevators. His room is two floors down," Naoto pointed out.

"Exactly. Two floors _down_. He went up."

"You sure?" Yosuke asked.

"Yeah, he took the car I got out of. But why would he -" Adachi paled, worry lining his forehead. "- oh, crap, he wouldn't..."

"Wouldn't what?"

"N-Namatame. He's on the ninth floor. But Dojima-san isn't-"

Yosuke looked aghast. "Namatame's still _here_?"

Among the Inaba police force, it was a poorly kept secret that Taro Namatame was being treated at the same hospital as two of his victims. Naoto had elected not to divulge it to the team; Yosuke's reaction validated her choice.

"He hasn't been transported yet," Adachi attempted to explain, "we're trying to-"

One long stride, and Kanji grabbed his collar. "You're _trying_? How about you fricking do something instead?"

"Kanji-kun, _stop it_!"

Rise's sobs had grown so quiet, Naoto had tuned them out. Now she was glaring at Kanji, tears streaming down her face. The anger in his expression drained away in an instant - and with a mumbled apology, he released Adachi and backed away. It was...disconcerting that Rise had disarmed him so easily, but his emotions were running high.

Naoto wondered distantly why her own weren't. The sorrow she'd felt the night they returned from Heaven's Castle had almost driven her to break down in this same corridor, and yet now was entirely absent. In its place was a single wrenching, sickening certainty: that Namatame had murdered Nanako, and no-one would be able to prove it.

"Your assumptions concerning Dojima-san's intentions are most likely inaccurate," she heard herself saying. "Yosuke-senpai and I will check the ninth floor, to make certain."

Adachi looked at her, bemused and bewildered as ever. "Y-Yeah, okay. Room 912. Turn left from the elevator and take the second right."

"Tell the others where we are," Yosuke said to Kanji, then slipped past Adachi and followed Naoto down the corridor.

The elevators were close and she'd hoped to avoid conversation on the way. Yosuke disappointed her.

"What the hell were they thinking, keeping Namatame here?" he muttered. "And why didn't Adachi tell us?"

"This is Inaba's largest and best-equipped hospital." The elevator doors opened, and they stepped inside. "And the details of a suspect's hospitalization are strictly confidential, Senpai."

She didn't need to look at Yosuke to know he was rolling his eyes. "Give me a break, Naoto-kun. You know it's a dumb idea too."

No, it was an idea born of difficult circumstances. The doctors knew as little about Namatame's condition as they did – _had_ – Nanako's, and the nearest hospital with sufficient expertize to treat him was fifty miles away. Explaining this, however, would not improve Yosuke's temperament.

The elevator reached the ninth floor, and the doors opened to the sound of an angry, raised voice.

"I need _permission_? Who gave _him_ permission to kill Nanako? Tell me that!"

Adachi needn't have bothered with directions. Yosuke and Naoto glanced at each other, then ran toward the source of the commotion. At the end of a long corridor, in front of room 912, Dojima was grappling with two uniformed police guards. Neither seemed certain how to handle the situation, or fully convinced that they should keep their superior officer out of the room.

Naoto stepped closer. "Dojima-san, please –"

"Stay out of this, Shirogane!" he snapped without turning, and shoved past the leaner of the two guards. "I know you're in there, Namatame!"

"Dojima-san," the other guard was saying, "you need to return to your room, you're going to make yourself-"

"Give Nanako back, you bastard!" Dojima's stance quivered with rage but his voice was ragged, and his shoulders began to curve. "She's - she's all I have, she's - the only..." He sagged, knees buckling - the two guards barely able to support his weight.

"Dojima-san!" Adachi was running toward them. "Quick, get him back to his room, I'll alert the doctors!"

His decision to come here was unsurprising given Kanji's earlier behaviour. Naoto chalked the sudden hostility up to grief; Adachi was frequently stupid, misguided, or both, but not malicious. He'd already dashed off again in search of a doctor, the two guards following at a slower pace with Dojima hanging between them.

As the men left, Naoto glanced at Yosuke, who stood facing the closed door to Namatame's room.

"Adachi-san said the charges won't stick," he said.

"...Yes."

"And that there's no way to prove Namatame's guilt in court." He glared at her, lips curled into a painful attempt at a sneer. "You, you're supposed to be a hotshot detective, can't _you_ do something?"

Naoto forced herself not to flinch.

Yosuke's question was one she had been asking herself ever since Nanako-chan disappeared. The answer was now painfully obvious. She swallowed, her throat tight. "A conviction is next to impossible."

"Guess Dojima-san knew that too."

"As do we."

Yosuke's gaze met her own, and stayed locked for a moment too long.

_We're the only ones who know what he really deserves_. Kanji's words. He'd probably thought nothing of them, but they'd played on her mind all week.

Nanako was dead. Namatame had murdered her. No-one could prove it.

Naoto turned, breaking eye contact with Yosuke, and they walked back to the elevators.

When they reached Nanako's room, Rise and Kanji had been joined by the other senpai. Yukiko had taken the seat between Rise and Chie and, despite her own tears, was attempting to comfort them both. Kanji was still starting out of the window. Souji, meanwhile, stood just outside the door, looking so set apart from his friends that they may as well have been on different planets. He turned and his eyes were wet with unshed tears - but empty, hollow. "Kanji said you'd gone after my uncle?" he said.

"Dojima-san went to Namatame's room." Naoto steeled herself. "Which nobody is currently guarding."

The sentence hung in the air.

"We could talk to him," Yosuke said, too casually. "If we're quick."

Yukiko glanced up, one hand still clutching Chie's. "B-But we can't just-"

"S'good idea," Kanji interrupted.

"I - " Souji ran his palm over his face, smearing wetness from his eyes to his cheeks. "I don't know if –"

Yosuke grabbed his arm. "C'mon, partner. Won't take long."

They ushered him away, the remainder of the team following. Souji didn't say a word as they walked, or as the elevator climbed to the ninth floor, or as they finally stood outside Namatame's unguarded room, swapping nervous glances and shuffling their feet against the tiled floor.

After much coaxing from Yukiko, Chie had finally stemmed her tears. "Guys, I-I don't think this is a good idea. Can't we just go home?"

Yosuke's hand was already on the door. "We're just gonna talk to him," he said, and pushed it open. He was the first inside, Naoto a moment behind.

The room beyond was large and cold. Far colder than the rest of the hospital – and the source was the open window on the opposite wall. Namatame was nowhere to be seen.

Surely he hadn't-

Kanji sucked in a breath. "Shit, the window – don't tell me that bastard -"

Whoever was last to enter had closed the door behind them. Faint light from street lamps seeped through the fog outside, but only enough to identify outlines: a bed here, a television there. Naoto stepped further inside, wondering how an injured man could possibly flee from the ninth floor – and, as she passed the bed nearest the window, heard a broken sob that indicated he hadn't. Souji was behind her in a moment, breathing almost as hard as the figure huddled beneath the window.

It was unlikely that Namatame recognized any of his would-be victims in the dim light, but still he shrank back further. "I–I–I c-can't- -"

"Everything that's happened," Souji said, barely more than a whisper, "and you won't face what you've done?"

"No surprise there." Kanji moved between her and Souji, grabbed the collar of Namatame's gown, and pulled him away from the wall.

"We should observe him carefully," Naoto said. "Someone turn on the lig-"

Behind her, the television flickered into life.

There was no image at first, only the hiss and crackle of static. Naoto assumed one of them had stepped on the remote in the dark. Then the grey noise resolved itself into a figure, and the static into chuckling.

"It must be midnight," Rise said. "But why are we seeing-"

On the screen was Namatame - not the man cowering beside them in a hospital gown, but the Namatame they'd met and fought in Heaven's castle. Judging by the stone statues behind him, he was still there. The sky was cloudless, and cast garish blue light into the hospital room.

The camera zoomed in on his face. _"I failed to save her. And it's your fault."_

Yosuke glanced between the man on the floor and his twin on the screen. "Wait, a third Namatame? How? The real one's here and we already beat his Shadow."

"Which he never faced," Naoto said. "It never returned to his body as a Persona."

_"I failed," _the Shadow repeated, "_but it wasn't my fault – and the law can't touch me."_

Yukiko drew a sharp breath. "...Is this what he's really thinking?"

Namatame's Shadow tipped back his green cap, his eyes glowing yellow beneath. The over-saturated colours looked surreal. _"I'll continue "saving" people. It's my mission," _ he added, and Naoto's stomach seemed to crawl down to her feet.

His mission. He'd do it all over again. Nanako was dead, Namatame had murdered her, Namatame would kill many more and nobody would _ever_ be able to prove any of it.

Yosuke lurched forward, as if – absurdly – to attack the man on screen. "No way. No way is he gonna-"

_"Living or dying, it makes no difference." _The Shadow shrugged. "_Do whatever you want with me."_

It sounded like a challenge. Or an invitation.

Naoto glanced at Souji – limbs stiff, mouth tight, and his terrible empty eyes – then immediately looked back at the television. Horizontal lines flickered over the screen, and the Shadow's lips twisted into a sneering smile. _"Except you can't. You can't do it, can you?"_

...Couldn't they, now.

Enough provocation and a response was guaranteed. Namatame knew this. Perhaps he wanted to be stopped. Naoto was disinclined to care. The Shadow was gone now, his low laughter cut off by the end of the Midnight Channel transmission, and the television's screen was as dark as the room.

"No, no," Namatame babbled, "not me - never said it – not what I-I-"

"He gave us permission." Kanji stepped toward him.

Yukiko recoiled. "Wha- -no, Kanji-kun!"

"Are you crazy?" Chie hissed, with a sharp, nervous gesture toward the closed door. "What're you going to do, beat him up in a _hospital_?"

Kanji hesitated, fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. "...Never said that."

Nonetheless, it was a salient point. Physical violence would attract an unwanted level of attention. They needed to prevent future murders, deliver justice for those that had already occurred - and they had to do so within the confines of this room, without alerting staff or leaving evidence.

The others had fallen into an argument. Naoto stepped aside, seeking space to think, and caught her elbow against the edge of the television set.

She turned, then lifted her hand and skimmed it over the surface of the screen. Ripples followed her fingers.

"This must be a luxury suite," she said. The arguing abruptly stopped. "Most hospital rooms don't have such large televisions."

Chie's voice trembled. "Naoto-kun?"

"A careless oversight. By entering this, the suspect could escape at a moment's notice. And, should he choose to do so, he might find that there's no way out."

"Wait, you - are you actually serious?" Rise asked.

Naoto gave a single, tight nod.

It was perfect. An obvious escape to the few members of the police force who put stock in the television theory. Leave the window open, and the remainder would choose to believe he escaped through that. By tomorrow, it would no longer matter.

"Naoto's right," Yosuke said. He and Kanji were flanking Namatame, who rocked back and forth between them. "All we have to do is put him in. One thing. Then it's all over."

By this stage, his tone held more exhaustion than anger. Naoto could sympathize. One thing, and this case – one of the most harrowing she'd worked, purely because she'd grown attached – would finally end. Nothing would bring Nanako back, but they could ensure her death would be the last.

Or second to last.

"You – you can't. It's _wrong_!" Rise protested. "Naoto-kun, Yosuke-senpai, how can you even imagine doing that?"

"Exactly! What's gotten into you guys?" Chie raised her hands, palms up. "I-I mean, what if they find our fingerprints when – when he's-"

"Incurred in our attempt to prevent his escape," Naoto said.

This improbable scenario was most likely an attempt to stall. The three girls wore near-identical looks of anxiety – though where Chie's was tinged with frustration, and Yukiko's with disbelief, Rise looked close to tears. It was fortunate, Naoto decided, that at least one individual in the room remained capable of rational thought.

For some reason, Chie now chose to direct her hysteria at Yosuke. "This is crazy! We can't do something like that!"

"You're okay with letting him off the hook?" Yosuke snarled. "Letting all of it happen all over again?"

"This isn't about what I'm _okay_ with! Souji, talk to him!"

Souji's loss was by far the greatest. He would understand why they needed to do this. But he'd said nothing since the Midnight Channel's conclusion, and Chie's appeal was answered with a shake of his head. In the dim light, Naoto couldn't decode his expression, and doubted she wanted to.

Something odd and cold was twisting behind her ribs. She squared her shoulders. "Those of you who want no part of this are welcome to leave."

Kanji hadn't moved from Namatame's side. "S'right. Any of you wanna turn your back and walk away, fine. I ain't."

Nanako was dead. Namatame had murdered her. Proving it was irrelevant, because Namatame would not kill again.

Naoto turned to Souji. "Senpai?"

Silence. Souji stared at Namatame, unmoving, unblinking - then turned away. "...Throw the bastard in."

For a heartbeat, the room was utterly still. Then everything happened at once.

Yosuke and Kanji grabbed Namatame's arms and began to drag him across the floor. Namatame kicked out, trying to tangle his legs around the metal bed-frame, his broken pleas – "No, no – p-please, I didn't – I-I was trying to help!" - ignored. Chie launched forward straight into Souji's outstretched arm, and Rise was telling him they couldn't do this, they _couldn't_, did he have any idea what he was saying?

Yukiko had turned her attentions elsewhere. "Kanji-kun, please – you're better than this!"

Kanji ignored her. He and Yosuke had reached the television and they yanked Namatame to his feet. He hung from their arms, momentarily suspended between them both, before they tipped him toward the screen – his body twisting, legs kicking wildly.

"Please," he begged, "I-I just wanted to save her! So she wouldn't be killed!"

Naoto paused.

A grunt came from Souji's direction. Though he was still facing the door, she saw him stagger a moment, one hand clutching his head.

"And now we'll save _you." _Yosuke lifted Namatame at the waist and forced his head through the rippling screen.

...No. One thing, and it was all over. She held her breath, watching Namatame's fingers clutch uselessly at the the television's frame, Kanji and Yosuke dodging his flailing legs. The moment stretched out as they tilted him further and further forward, time almost seeming to stop – until Souji lunged forward, grabbed the back of Namatame's gown, and pulled hard.

Unprepared, Kanji and Yosuke both released their grip, and Namatame tumbled back into the room.

"Stop." Souji's shoulders heaved with each ragged breath. "W-We aren't doing this."

Kanji glared at him. "The hell?"

Senpai was a rational man. Why would he –

"Why not?" Naoto blurted.

"Because it isn't right." He stared at Namatame, now curled up and shivering on the floor. "Because we're not like him."

"You're the one sayin' it," Kanji growled, grabbing Namatame's arm again.

Naoto felt her jaw tense. "Senpai, perhaps you should leave the room."

"Fine. Let me give you another reason: what if we're wrong?" Souji said, with unbearable patience. "You've worked non-stop on Namatame's case since we brought him back. Why do you think it's been so difficult to prove him guilty?"

Because there was insufficient admissible evidence. Because a court of law would never believe tales of monsters inside televisions.

This was ridiculous. When had she started looking instinctively to one person for guidance – for permission, even? She'd always acted alone and she'd certainly never followed the lead of those she outdid in both skill and experience.

...But there was more to it, wasn't there?

Souji studied her. "Naoto-kun?"

Souji Seta possessed something Naoto didn't, something she couldn't even name. And he'd tugged out the doubts she'd shoved to the back of her mind: Namatame's solid alibi for the first murder, the lack of a clear motive, the confusion over what 'saving' truly meant.

_I just wanted to save her, so she wouldn't be killed._

What if Souji was right?

Naoto swallowed, hard. "Very well."

Yosuke's eyes widened. "Oh, hell, no - you're bailing too? Kanji, you're still sane, right?"

"I -" Kanji frowned. His grip on Namatame's arm loosened. "Shit, I dunno. Can't follow any of this."

"You want revenge. I do too," Souji said, carefully. "But we have to find the truth."

With a hissed curse, Yosuke stormed so close to Souji they were almost toe-to-toe. "The 'truth' is that bastard killed three people. He murdered Nanako-chan! How the hell can you be so calm?"

"Yosuke - "

"No, don't even start! If you're too gutless to follow through on this, I'll do it myself, because I actually give a shit that Saki-senpai and Nanako-chan are-"

The crack of Souji's hand against his face cut him short.

To his credit, he made no sound. He simply steadied himself and stared back at Souji, both of them breathing hard.

"Yosuke." Souji lowered his hand. "Shut up."

Save for the sound of Namatame's sobs, the room was silent. An angry red patch had already blossomed on Yosuke's cheek; at least Souji had chosen an open palm over a fist.

"Guys," Rise began, voice quivering, "we need to calm down. _Please_."

Chie nodded. "Y-Yeah. Doing this wouldn't change anything." Yosuke let out a grunt at that, but nothing else.

"Exactly. We need to take a step back," Souji said. His expression shifted – and in a detached tone, as if reciting words from a script, he added, "This may be a time for contemplation rather than action."

"Rich coming from the guy who just whacked me in the face." Yosuke muttered, rubbing at his cheek. He sighed. "C'mon. Those guards won't be gone long. Let's get out of here."

* * *

While the rest of the team headed to the ground floor lobby, Souji went to check on his uncle, and Naoto had followed. This was a reasonable choice; Dojima was a respected colleague. Naoto had explained this to Rise - whom Souji had eventually dissuaded from following – with only limited success.

When they arrived, the doctors had mildly sedated Dojima and were still treating his reopened wounds. Souji had suggested this as the reason for the sedation, though the more likely aim was to keep his uncle in one place. He and Naoto stood together outside Dojima's room, Souji peering through the small glass window on the door, and though the silence was uncomfortable, she felt no better when he broke it.

"I told my uncle I'd save her," he said.

As had Naoto, immediately after Nanako's kidnapping. Promises they'd failed to keep.

Souji turned to look at her. "Did I make the right choice?"

"I'm sorry?"

"That might've been our one chance. But – I think we did the right thing. My head, it was the same feeling as when-"

If there was an ending to the statement, he chose not to voice it. Naoto straightened her back. "Senpai, you were right to stop us. My judgment was clouded."

"You weren't alone."

"No. But I know better than to behave so irrationally." Even if it had seemed rational at the time, and – to an extent – still did.

"I wanted to hurt him too." Souji winced, and shook his head. "I - wanted you and Yosuke and Kanji to hurt him."

Naoto had chosen to believe that Souji did not truly understand the sway he held over his friends. The alternative was too dangerous. Yet, even if he _did_, there was a limit to his influence. "And it would have been our choice."

He turned back to the door, eyes closed. "I've been a hypocrite. Spent two weeks hung up on the stuff Rise heard when we fought Namatame, and then I tell you all to kill someone."

"It wasn't your idea, Senpai. And...we understand your prior frustration at our behaviour." It was a half-truth at best, but Souji seemed - _different_. Fragile, even, and honesty felt too brutal.

"I thought you all looked up to me, that you were ungrateful because you didn't." He chuckled in a way Naoto didn't like at all; humourless and desperate. "I don't know what to think, now. What sort of person I really am."

"Kanji-kun says we all have dark aspects to our personalities, even those of us who have confronted our Shadows." Though from what Naoto recalled, his delivery had been somewhat less polite. "...I cannot replicate his exact phrasing."

Souji's mouth quirked in a strange, slight smile. "Not many people could. He also says you're clocking too many hours at the police station."

Which was absolutely none of Kanji's business. Naoto glared on principle, though Souji appeared not to notice.

"I heard him complaining to Yukiko on the way back from the river," he continued. "I didn't realize until then...you've been putting everything you have into helping prosecute Namatame." His expression was thoughtful, soft - and entirely unfamiliar. "Thank you."

Since joining the team, Naoto had desperately wanted Souji to acknowledge her efforts. She hadn't anticipated how awkward she would feel when he did. "You permitted me to join your group because of my abilities as a detective," she said, trying to ignore the heat racing over her face. "Ineffective as they may have proven."

The same strange smile. "That wasn't the reason."

"W-We should return to the lobby," Naoto managed, already turning away in the hope she wouldn't catch fire.

"Go on ahead. Tell the others I won't be long." At her look of confusion, he explained further. "I – there's somewhere I have to go. A favour I need to ask."

Despite her curiosity, something in his expression told Naoto not to press the issue. Instead, she dipped her cap and walked back to the elevators – noticing as she did that, rather than going somewhere, Souji had turned to stare at one of the corridor's blank walls.

Down in the lobby, the rest of the team were huddled together on two opposing rows of chairs: Rise, Chie and Yukiko on one side, Kanji in the center of the other, and Yosuke standing behind him with a cellphone pressed to one ear. Kanji glanced at Naoto as she approached, then went back to staring at the narrow gap under Chie's chair.

Something seemed amiss, yet there was nothing unusual in his expression. Naoto took the seat facing Rise, and pushed the matter no further.

"Souji-senpai will be down shortly," she explained. "He has...somewhere to go first."

"Okay. I hope he's done soon." Rise looked at Kanji, her head slightly tipped. "You okay, Kanji-kun?"

He was hunched over, arms resting sideways on his knees. Several moments passed before he answered. "I almost did it. Almost good as killed the guy. Didn't think I was like that."

"You're _not_," Rise shot back.

Naoto leaned back in the chair, arms tightly folded, shoulders angled forward. "It was my idea."

"You weren't the one draggin' him across the floor."

"Would it have crossed your mind had I not proposed it?"

Kanji glanced at her over his shoulder. "I wanted to stop the bastard before you said a word."

She held his gaze, jaw tensed. "But would you have thrown him in?"

"...Prob'ly not."

The sense of victory was both fleeting and ridiculous. "Exactly," she said, though he'd already looked away. "Rise is correct in her estimation."

"Yeah. Kanji-kun's just a hothead. Maybe Yosuke-senpai too." Rise looked at her, then, eyes suddenly wary. "But Naoto-kun isn't."

The question was clear, but Naoto had no ready answer.

She had acted without due consideration, on feelings she hadn't recognized. An 'ace detective' willing to accept the most convenient answer and the vengeful solution that sprang from it. But assume Namatame _was_ guilty, that more innocents might die by his hand and the team had been in a unique position to prevent it. Why _wouldn't_ they?

Rise, Chie and Yukiko had been horrified at the prospect. Naoto couldn't fathom why. And perhaps that was the problem.

She looked up, caught Rise's expectant expression, and tried for the best explanation she could. "The majority of the cases I've worked have been centered on violent crime. Murder, rape, arson, for example. Repeated exposure to a stimulus can lessen its effect." Noticing Rise's frown, Naoto attempted to clarify. "It makes you – see things in a different light."

It was a sanitized answer – preferable to _makes you less human_ – and Rise seemed placated.

"Well, I'm angry at him too," she said. "I just wouldn't have – you know. Even knowing he won't go to jail."

Idols did not typically work serial murder cases. Rise could be forgiven her lax attitude. "Twice before I've watched a culprit walk away and been powerless to stop them," Naoto said. "This time, I wasn't."

"But you're better than that! We all are. Killing someone because we think they deserve it...that's just _wrong_."

"Not if they're gonna go kill more people," Yosuke cut in.

Chie had been deep in whispered conversation with Yukiko, but his voice caught her attention. "C'mon, Yosuke. Just – drop it for a moment, okay?"

"...Yeah. Sorry." He let out a breath, blowing loose strands of hair from his face. "Hey, can one of you try calling Teddie? I can't get through, keep getting a service recording."

Yukiko had already flipped her phone open. "I thought he'd stayed with – in Nanako-chan's room."

"Me too, but I checked on the way down and he wasn't there. Hey, Souji...we can't find Ted, have you seen him?"

Naoto twisted in her seat. Behind her, Souji was approaching the row of chairs. The hard line of his mouth was unchanged, but his steps were lighter, like a heavy weight had been lifted from his back. "No, but I doubt he'll have left by himself."

He slipped around Yosuke and half-fell into the seat next to Kanji, who eyed him critically. "You look like crap, Senpai."

"Thanks, Kanji."

"Are you doing okay?" Chie asked. "I-I mean, as much as you can be."

At that – and for no reason Naoto could discern - Souji actually smiled. "I think I am, now."

Yukiko frowned. "What do you mean by-"

"Seta!"

Souji looked over his shoulder toward the elevators. "Something up, Adachi-san?"

Adachi stood behind them – pale, out-of-breath, and even more disheveled than usual. "Yeah, you have to come back upstairs! This – it's gonna sound crazy but, Nanako-chan, she – she came around!"

Yosuke's eyes widened. "Came around? But she was -"

"I know." Souji rose from his seat. "Come on, let's go see her."

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Nanako-chan had not woken. It had been irrational to imagine she might – though there was little rational about a dead child returning to life to begin with, or that Souji almost appeared to expect it. Lazarus syndrome, the attending doctors had suggested, to the general indifference of everyone else in the room. Half of them had been too busy crying, while the rest pretended not to. Owing to his sedation, Dojima had not been among them, until Souji's request that he be wheeled up by one of the staff. The team had left ten minutes later, leaving him holding his daughter's hand.

Satisfied, and some still a little tearful, they went down to the lobby together. While Yosuke continued to call Teddie, the others made plans as to who would walk home with whom in the fog.

The snow, they hadn't expected.

Yukiko peered up around the entrance awning. "December third, and it's snowing? That's strange."

"Everything 'bout this weather is," Kanji muttered.

After moving to her grandfather's estate, Naoto had soon grown to enjoy the snow. It was a predictable, comforting part of each Takayama winter. In Inaba, and especially in the fog, it felt out of place.

Chie had stepped out from the awning, and the falling flakes were catching in her hair. "It's pretty, though. Or I guess it would be without the fog. Yosuke, did you get through to Ted yet?"

Yosuke shook his head. "I dunno where he is."

"We could all look for him on our way home," Yukiko suggested.

"I'll wait here for a while in case he comes back," Souji said. "He probably doesn't know about Nanako-chan."

Although Teddie would find his own way back eventually – and although their energies would be better spent on the questions raised by the night's events – Naoto couldn't swallow the surge of concern. It was easy to forget that Teddie's experience of this world amounted to barely five months.

Rise latched on to her arm. "C'mon, Naoto-kun. You, me and Kanji-kun can search the shopping district," she said, and began walking without waiting for an answer. Tugged along in her wake, Naoto caught a glimpse of Kanji following close behind, and of Chie, Yukiko and Yosuke heading in the opposite direction.

She'd expected one of them to remain with Souji. Naoto had little talent for interpreting others' expressions, but something about Senpai's had looked wrong, and his smile had turned brittle.

Rise looked no better and her grip was almost painful. Naoto studied her – dark circles under her eyes, teeth worrying her bottom lip – and whispered, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Just - you know," she said, with a laugh that sounded like porcelain. "I really, _really_ hate this fog."

Rise had offered little detail on her current state, but Naoto had always prided herself on her powers of observation. If, as she suspected, the fog here was similar to the fog in the television, Rise was in an unenviable situation. "Because your Persona instinctively attempts to see through it, correct?"

"...Souji-senpai says I have to try and turn her off," Rise said – then stopped walking and turned around.

Kanji stood a meter or so away, frowning. "What?"

"I – sorry, guys. I just -" Rise gulped for breath, blinking hard. "S-Souji-senpai, he shouldn't be by himself right now. I'll make my own way home." With that she ran back toward the hospital, her figure soon disappearing into the fog.

"Ten thousand yen says Hanamura's beaten her to it," Kanji muttered.

The snow hadn't let up. At least Teddie might leave footprints they could track. "Let's check the shopping district as planned."

"But you – " Kanji paused, frowned. "We, uh, could walk to your place first."

Naoto shook her head. "Teddie would most likely go somewhere familiar, and he has never visited my apartment." A fact for which she was intensely (if somewhat guiltily) grateful. "And – I'd prefer to accompany you during the search."

Kanji stared at her.

"Two people can cover an area more efficiently," she quickly added.

"Oh." He ran a hand through his damp hair, dislodging unmelted snowflakes. "Yeah."

Naoto resolved to ignore the blush tinging his cheeks - and hoped he'd miss the heat creeping over her own.

* * *

"Dammit. If he's here, he doesn't wanna be found."

Most likely Teddie wasn't here at all. They'd twice walked the length of the district, checked each side alley they passed, and searched every corner of the shrine. Naoto had been distracted throughout. An odd pain had been gnawing inside her chest - a sensation similar to the night they'd rescued Nanako but lacking any justification.

She looked up at Kanji. "Perhaps we should stop for the night."

"Yeah. Just - " Kanji stopped, frowning at empty space. "I – need a break first."

Naoto intended to suggest he walk the short distance home, but he'd already sat down on the steps outside the old model shop. The fine layer of snow covering them dissuaded her from joining him. So did the sudden heat prickling at her eyes.

It made no sense. The night had ended, if not on a positive note, on a tolerable one. Yet Kanji looked no better; his eyes were dark, his jaw continually working. Was it because of Nanako-chan? Namatame? Emotions followed no logic. Naoto, who had never learned to correctly identify her own, knew better than to attempt to interpret Kanji's.

This knowledge didn't stop her. "I apologize," she told him.

He lifted his head. "What for?"

"Suggesting we throw Namatame in the television. Rise-chan was correct." She forced herself to hold his gaze. "You're better than that."

Kanji let out a breath. "No, I'm not. I wanted t'do it, y'know? Couldn't stop thinking about what he did to Nanako-chan."

"You – you're - -" She closed her eyes, took a breath, opened them. "I...don't always see things the way I should. I dragged you into that. You have no reason to feel guilty."

"Don't, really." He shrugged. "Got other stuff to think about."

...She'd misinterpreted. Unsurprisingly. But if guilt wasn't troubling him... "Such as?"

"Stupid shit. How much I hate hospitals." He rubbed a hand over his face, the movement stiff and jerky. "How we – we were rushin' so hard to get there, and I just kept thinkin' it was gonna be like before, with my dad. Th-That I wouldn't get there in time. An' then we did, and she – she still - -"

"No, she _didn't_. Not truly."

"But if she had, when she kinda did - at least people were there for her." His face was tense, his lips set in a tight, trembling line. "I-I wanted to be there too, but there wasn't enough space in her room and the senpai knew her way longer."

This was not a conversation Naoto wanted to have. Kanji's voice was raspy and wrong but his eyes were worse - and her own still hadn't stopped stinging.

Nanako. It was because of her. But why now, when she was alive? Why feel grief over a outcome that hadn't occurred?

A delayed reaction, presumably, and one Naoto would not indulge. She sat down on the steps next to Kanji and huddled into her coat. It seemed he was distressed for the same reason, among others – but she'd been wrong once already and didn't dare a second attempt.

They sat in silence, light snow still falling. Naoto began to feel faintly ridiculous. If Kanji chose to freeze to death on a doorstep two minute's walk from his own, she was not required to join him and would be a fool if she did – and yet leaving him here was impossible. She watched his face in profile, the line of his mouth and his creased brow – though she hadn't realized she was doing so until he turned toward her.

"You – I-I know this is a bad question, but - your parents. Were you there?"

"No."

Kanji nodded once, his jaw tight. "Then maybe you know how- -shit, maybe y'don't. I dunno."

Her parents had died instantly. Or so she hoped. Either way, had Naoto been there she would have most likely joined them. Hearing that, however, would offer Kanji no comfort.

"I doubt it would have made a difference in my case," she said, instead. "But I – I can appreciate your situation."

…It sounded pathetic. It was also the best she could offer. _Less_ _than human_. She'd been more accurate than she'd thought - and Kanji deserved better.

He shrugged, stiff and awkward. "Eh, 'least my Ma was still here to look after me. Getting shipped around your relatives is worse."

"It isn't a contest, Kanji."

"Yeah, I know."

Even if it were, in some ways Naoto suspected she might be more fortunate. She'd barely known her parents and her memories of them were riddled with holes - but would it really have been any better had they died five years later? Kanji had lost a father he'd had time to love, one he had reason to grieve for.

She bit her lip, her fingers tensing over her knees. "Do you miss him?"

Kanji glanced at her, then away. "Yeah. Wish I knew what he'd think of everything I've done this year, whether he'd be proud of me."

"I think he would."

Naoto hadn't quite planned on saying that, and Kanji's lack of response was alarming. She stayed silent, torn between wanting him to speak and hoping he'd completely ignored her, until he let out a loud sigh and climbed to his feet. "C'mon, we gotta get to your apartment."

"But you're almost home," she said.

"So? Ain't gonna make you walk back by yourself in snow _and_ fog."

"It isn't snowing hard, and I am perfectly– " Naoto began - but he'd already started walking, _why_ had he started walking? "Kanji-kun, we are practically outside your mother's shop, it makes absolutely no sense for you to walk across town twice!"

"Y-Yeah, well, whoever said I made sense?" It was an absurd retort, yet Kanji seemed unfazed. He stopped several strides away and glanced over his shoulder. "You comin' or what?"

There was clearly no point arguing. And given his earlier distress, it would be better to do as he wished. Naoto could find other reasons too, more than she needed – and realized, for a deeply uncomfortable moment, that she'd become very good at justifying spending time around Kanji Tatsumi.

"If you insist," she muttered – though Kanji probably couldn't hear – then tugged down her cap and followed him.


	34. Chapter 26

_For me, the 'true culprit reveal' was the weakest segment of the game. So, we will do things a little differently. Hope it's an interesting (and not too drastic) divergence. If you disagree, let me know, constructive criticism is welcome.  
_

_Story so far: The team confronted Namatame and skirted moments close to a Bad End, while Teddie was nowhere to be found._

_In this part: Naoto doesn't do interviews, Kanji still doesn't like dictionaries, and Adachi gives Souji a ride home._

_Things I cheated and skipped: The Namatame Exposition Fest._

_Trivia I heard about too late to incorporate (assuming it's true): In the JP version of the game, Witch Detective = Witch Detective Loveline._

* * *

**December 4th, 2011**

Kanji's dreams had never made much sense. Just jumbled flashes, mixing up whatever had been on his mind the previous day with crap he hadn't thought about for years. At least, until this past month. It wasn't like he had them every night, and they weren't all that terrifying. They just felt _wrong_. Like the one he'd woken up from a few minutes ago; the team taking out Shadows in the school corridors. Real world merging with television.

What if it actually happened?

Fog hadn't gone away. Rise was still struggling to hold it together. And maybe they hadn't even caught the right guy.

...No reason to get spooked by a stupid dream. At least Souji hadn't accused him of murder in this one – though given what they'd nearly done last night, maybe Senpai wasn't in a position to accuse anybody.

Kanji stood up, stretched, and glanced at the snow falling outside the window. Looked pretty light, but it was hard to tell through the fog. Must have started up overnight; it'd stopped completely on the way to Naoto's apartment.

Shit. Naoto. He'd been a total wuss in front of her last night, asked her questions he'd told himself he wouldn't – then, to cap it off, spent most of the walk to her place blabbering about his dad. Naoto had acted like she was paying attention, even pressed him for more detail at a few points, but probably only out of politeness. Why the hell would anyone listen to him rattling on about his old man?

Okay, Souji did, but Souji listened to everyone. Or used to. Maybe he would again, if the team could solve the case for real.

Kanji grabbed his cell from the sewing table, planning to text Rise and ask if she and Senpai had both made it home safe, but when he flipped open the phone a message was already waiting.

_Meet hospital, 15.00_

Figured. Souji treated texts like telegrams. _**np. did Ted come back**_

Surprisingly, Senpai responded straight away. _No_

Teddie must've gone to Yosuke's place instead. Or Junes; he'd probably passed out in the furniture department again.

_He isn't picking up his phone. Worried about him_

Dumb bear. The hell was he thinking, making everyone fret over him? Soon as he got back, Kanji would be ready and waiting with an ass-kicking (or at least a few good yells). Ted had been so damn excited about that clunky old phone, bugged everyone to give him their numbers, and now he wouldn't even take calls.

That last part was the reason Kanji was starting to worry.

Might as well try again. He flicked through his contacts list, hit Ted's name, and held the phone to his ear.

_"This is the KJ Customer Service Center. The number you have dialed is unavailable right now. The phone may be switched off or outside our coverage area."_

You could pick up a solid KJ signal as far away as Okina, and probably further still. Teddie couldn't have made it all that way without any cash. Maybe the phone company had just glitched, though that didn't explain why Yosuke had got the same message last night.

Dammit. Put Teddie in the wrong place and he could get himself into all kinds of trouble. Mind of a four year old, Souji had said, and though Kanji still thought Senpai had been wrong on that - that, strange and childish as he was, Ted understood a lot more than he let on - it was at least partly true. Little guy trusted people way too quickly.

It was cold out there, too, and would've been worse overnight. Kanji hoped Ted still had his yellow scarf. Ma would be pissed if he'd lost it.

He turned away from the window, glanced at his sewing table - bare except for an in-progress Detective Loveline and a sheet of sketched plans for a red and blue plush Teddie - and stalked over to the dresser.

* * *

"Well, this is just great." Yosuke flopped down on a chair in the hospital lobby. "Namatame's a wreck, the killer's still on the loose, Ted's missing - and I feel like the world's biggest asshole."

"I think most of us are feeling that right now," Souji said.

"What, that I'm an asshole? Way to back me up, partner."

Souji just rolled his eyes in response, but the tension had been broken. Chie chimed in with more teasing, Yukiko and Rise giggling beside and behind her - and what would've typically escalated into a full-on squabble stayed as friendly banter. Kanji wasn't surprised. They'd argued over killing someone last night. The usual petty crap probably didn't seem worth it.

At the time, back in that room, nothing else had.

Kanji figured Yosuke had to feel as shitty as he did, knowing now that Namatame had ultimately been working toward the same goal as the team. And in _his_ place – kidnapping people, throwing them in a TV then seeing them safely back in town days or weeks later – would any of them have reached a different conclusion? Back in Heaven's castle, Kanji hadn't cared what happened to Namatame, would've left his corpse rotting on the dais if that was what it took to rescue Nanako - but that had been a battle. A screwed-up one, but otherwise like all the rest: fighting a Shadow because they'd had no other option. Ganging up on a sick guy in his hospital room had been a conscious choice. Throwing him in the television would've been murder, no matter what he had or hadn't done.

Kanji's temper had gotten the better of him before and probably always would, but last night had been totally different – and so what if it hadn't been his idea? He glanced at Naoto, standing at the edge of the group and staring at the opposite wall of the lobby. She'd been driving the interview, asking all the questions, but she'd gone quiet soon as they left the room.

"Okay guys, Yukiko and I are heading out," Chie said, as both girls stood from their seats. "We're gonna hunt for Teddie some more."

"We'll let you know if we find him," Yukiko added. She gave several quick nods to the rest of the group, then followed Chie to the lobby's sliding glass doors.

"I was convinced he'd be waiting at home." When Kanji glanced back at Yosuke, he had his head tilted back against the chair and his gaze fixed on the ceiling. "I checked every room, even looked in all the closets. He sleeps in them sometimes."

"Me and Naoto struck out too," Kanji said. "Turned the district over last night looking for him."

Souji's brow furrowed. "Hope you didn't spend too long trudging around in the snow. Last thing we need is -" The rest was cut off by the muffled ringtone of his cell (which sounded a lot like the ones Rise had put on Kanji's phone). He pulled his phone from his jacket pocket, glanced at the screen, and grimaced. "Huh. Adachi again. I'd better answer."

Last phone call Souji had gotten from Adachi had been the previous night, when they'd all thought Nanako was- -

But that hadn't really happened. And it sure as hell wouldn't again.

Souji stepped aside to take the call, though he paused to grip Yosuke's shoulder, just for a moment. Kanji watched Senpai hold his phone to his ear, his eyes wandering the room in boredom, and wondered how the hell they were supposed to find the real bad guy among all these dead-ends - assuming they even could, and that one existed.

"Sorry for not helping you search, Kanji-kun," Rise said from his right. She was leaning over the back of the empty chair beside him, elbows resting on top. "I pretty much abandoned you guys."

And who'd blame her? He would've done the same for Naoto in a heartbeat. Besides, the whole team knew that trying to separate Rise from Souji was like ordering a fish to give up swimming. "S'alright. You did what you had to."

Maybe Naoto had heard him mention her name, maybe she'd just finally gotten bored of the wall - but in any case, she walked over to join them. The way she moved and stood didn't look natural; it was too stiff and self-conscious, an echo of the boy he'd met back in May.

"Did Souji-senpai accompany you home, Rise?" she asked.

"Actually, Adachi-san offered us a ride back. Well, he offered one to Souji-senpai, I sorta tagged along," Rise said, with a sheepish smile. "I don't think he was happy about the detour."

"Adachi's a dick," Kanji muttered. A clueless, two-bit cop who'd been phoning it in that whole night, while everyone else who knew Nanako had fallen apart.

Rise let out a sigh. "Oh, Kanji-kun, he's harmless. You only lost your temper with him because you were upset over Nanako-chan." She'd started the sentence looking at Kanji, but her gaze had soon switched to Naoto. "We were all a little off last night."

"Yes. We were." Naoto adjusted one shirt cuff, then another, and didn't look up. "I – had never considered the possibility that-"

"That doesn't matter now," Rise cut in, "because nothing happened. Nobody got hurt. "

Opposite Kanji, Yosuke bolted up from his seat. "I need some fresh air. Tell Souji I'll talk to him later."

Once he'd left, Naoto looked carefully around the lobby - like she thought the potted plants might be eavesdropping - and dropped her voice to an even lower volume. "When we entered his room today, Namatame was terrified. And he had every right to be."

No kidding. It'd taken Souji several minutes to calm him down enough to speak. Senpai had explained that they weren't there to hurt anyone, that they'd been blinded by their emotions the previous night - and at that point, Kanji had apologized without thinking, with Naoto soon following suite. Yosuke had stayed silent. Namatame had come round eventually, but Kanji had stayed hung up on the same ugly thought: that they'd made a sick guy, a guy who'd been caught up first in his grief and then in a terrible misunderstanding, afraid of a group of teenagers.

_Way to go, Tatsumi._

Rise had moved behind him, and he heard her let out a small huff of breath. "Naoto-kun, its _fine_. It was just a terrible, horrible night, and we all said and did stuff you'll never consider doing again."

If Rise had noticed the slip, she didn't correct it. If Naoto had, she didn't point it out. "Perhaps."

"And that's fine," Rise continued, in what now sounded more like a monologue than a conversation, "because when we find whoever killed Yamano-san and Konishi-senpai, you're not gonna tell us to throw him in a television or anything like that. You'll arrest him, do it all by the book and be totally boring. Right?"

Naoto's reply was slow in coming.

"It will be some time before we identify him, or her," she eventually said. "At present, we have no suspect."

Kanji shrugged. He wasn't feeling optimistic right now either, but _someone_ needed to boost morale, or at least try. "So we find one. Gotta be a clue somewhere, and we -" - and dammit, he'd stumbled - "we've got an ace detective on our side!"

He'd wanted to encourage her. Instead, it'd come out hesitant - mostly because he'd suddenly realized he was paying her a compliment with a very talkative witness. Naoto's spirits stayed flat. "I'm afraid you have nothing of the sort," she said, head tilted slightly downward, gaze fixed on the floor by his feet.

Fine. If she was determined to put a negative light on this, Kanji was equally set on calling her on her bullshit. "You solved twenty-four cases before you started high school. Pretty damn sure that makes you an ace."

She looked up - grey-blue eyes wide for a split-second, then instantly narrowing. "Yes. Twenty-four exactly. How did you know that?"

Oh, _crap_.

Kanji tensed, coughed, and tried not to swallow his own tongue. "Uh. Th-That TV show. Niteline. You were on it."

"In September." Naoto was staring holes in him. "And you - remembered the number."

"Kanji-kun probably recorded the whole show," Rise chimed in.

He shot to his feet. "No I di- -dammit, Rise!" Like he'd ever do something so creepy (and never mind that he'd re-watched Naoto's segment on the Niteline website three times over the following week.)

The brim of her cap successfully shielded Naoto's face, though not the red tips of her ears. "...Y-Yes. Well."

Great. He'd embarrassed her. "Sorry. I-I didn't mean to…"

"It-It's absolutely fine," Naoto stammered, in a way which indicated it absolutely wasn't. Then her expression shifted, to what looked like an odd, subdued sort of curiosity. "But - September. That was before anyone-"

"Ready, Naoto-kun?"

Souji's voice, somewhere to the right. Kanji glanced sideways and saw him standing a short distance away, closed cellphone still in hand.

Naoto gave a single, firm nod. "Yes, Senpai. I'll be right there."

"You and Souji-senpai are going somewhere?" asked Rise, not lightly enough.

"It's my turn to visit with him tonight. The schedule," Naoto said, and clasped her hands behind her back. "Additionally, we must discuss today's developments."

Rise leaned back in her seat, arms folded. "You could discuss them with the rest of us too."

"I intend to, of course. I just need to…bounce some ideas around first. And Souji-senpai has already proved an adept investigator."

_Adept investigator._ That was one way of putting it. So was 'better than the rest of you'.

Worst part was, it was true.

_Jealous, Tatsumi? Ain't that big of you._ "Senpai's a smart guy," Kanji managed, head ducked so he wouldn't have to meet her eye.

"He is," Naoto said. "Well. See you tomorrow."

He kept his head down, listening as her footsteps grew fainter, were joined by a second, heavier set, and then vanished altogether. When he glanced up at Rise, she was staring at the glass lobby doors, and her face looked pinched and tired.

"Somethin' up?" he asked, already knowing the answer, and the answer she'd be willing to give.

"I'm fine." Her smile was immediate and strained, and the tremble in her lips made it look slightly desperate. "It's just - I don't think we need a schedule. I don't mind staying with Senpai each evening."

_I'll bet you don't_, Kanji thought.

But Rise had shied away from visiting Souji alone before, back when Nanako was still in Heaven's Castle. Kanji had figured it odd at the time, given she seemed to flirt with him on instinct - but now, he was beginning to understand. In many ways, Rise's behavior was far too similar to his own: head over heels for someone, but desperately afraid of any situation that might force her into admitting it.

"You an' him," he began. "Are you-"

"I don't know," Rise blurted, every muscle visibly tensing. "It - It's not a good time for that kind of thing."

Kanji hadn't expected a real answer. He'd been clinging to variations of the same excuse: that he'd approach Naoto once things calmed down, once Nanako was well again, once they'd caught the real killer.

…But what if it _wasn't_ just an excuse? Maybe Rise had a point. Something told him he'd only ever have one shot at confessing to Naoto, and that the time and place he picked to take it would make all the difference to the result.

Inside his pockets, his fingers curled into fists. "Yeah."

* * *

**December 5th, 2011**

It was a bad sign, Kanji thought, that the best plan they could come up was, _'wander around town and hope we stumble over an answer'_. If nobody had seen or suspected the real culprit at the time of the first murder, what would've changed eight months later? The team could talk to every last person in Inaba and still be no wiser.

He rubbed his hands together in an effort to warm them, wishing Rise would hurry the hell up. By the time Marukyu Tofu's front door finally opened, he'd moved on to stomping his feet, tightly packed snow crunching beneath them.

Rise was wearing her thick winter coat, a plush-looking scarf, and the most ridiculous pair of earmuffs Kanji had ever seen. "Wow, it's _cold_," she said, and shivered. "If this gets any worse, the fog's going to freeze solid."

He eyed the earmuffs again. Bright pink, with cat ears on the band. With the right materials, he could make a pretty good copy.

…Cat ears would look awesome on Naoto.

Something jabbed him in the side. "Kanji-kun? Are you listening?"

He glanced down. Rise was staring up at him, a slight frown creasing her forehead. "Uh, yeah, 'course!" he said. "Just wonderin' if you're gonna be okay for this."

"Hey, you can't do it without me." The frown instantly melted into a bright smile, as if on reflex. "Turn on the charm, and Risette might tease out a vital clue!" She gestured toward the south end of the shopping district, invisible in the dense fog. "I figured we could start out here, everyone knows us. Or they know you, and they've heard of Risette."

_Knowing_ wasn't always good. "They like Yukiko-senpai better."

"Maybe. But she and Chie-senpai are starting with the inn, Naoto-kun still hasn't shown, and nobody round here is _ever_ gonna talk to Yosuke-senpai - so that leaves us." She started walking north. "C'mon!"

Kanji stamped his feet one last time for emphasis, then followed her.

Most of the town was holed up indoors, either terrified of the fog or unwilling to deal with the snow. Kanji and Rise found only three people walking outside: a harassed-looking housewife, the crotchety old guy who fished down at the river, and Naoki's father. The first didn't remember anything, and the second just rambled on about the fog. The third, they couldn't bring themselves to ask. They struck out at Aiya, too; neither Otsuka nor his five customers recalled anything more than what the team already knew. Most of them couldn't even remember the police combing the town or the swarm of journalists - just the TV news reports, night after night. In all cases, the conversation had soon come back to the fog.

"Ain't going well so far," Kanji said. They'd paused outside Aiya for a moment, so Rise could take off her gloves and text Souji-senpai.

"Maybe Senpai's found something. Lemme ask him."

Kanji rocked back on his heels and stared upward. The fog felt _dirty_, somehow. Like it was carrying all the darkness and ugliness of the TV world over here - and hell, maybe it was. Why else would Rise's Persona be going haywire? She'd said she was learning to keep a lid on it, ignore Himiko like Souji had suggested, but the real problem was that she needed to do that at all. The whole thing - the fog, Himiko, his strange dreams - had set Kanji on edge.

He grimaced and shoved his hands in his pockets. He was on the verge of telling Rise to hurry up (what was she writing, a damn novel?) when he saw a figure heading toward them. As they moved closer, the blurred outline resolved itself into a person: a girl in stylish white and pale blue clothing, and seriously expensive-looking boots. It took him a moment to realize he knew her, kind of. The girl who'd helped out Teddie in the contest, who'd asked after Souji while Nanako was gone. Both kind and thoughtful actions, but Kanji couldn't get past her expression: all vague disdain and ice-cold eyes.

Rise looked up from her phone. "Oh. Ebihara-senpai."

Ebihara barely glanced at her. "Kujikawa."

Girls, for Kanji, were a thorny topic. Some, like Chie, were down-to-earth and approachable. Others, like Yukiko, were fascinatingly foreign, but nonthreatening. Others, however, were like Rise Kujikawa and Ai Ebihara.

He _liked_ Rise. She was a good friend - one who regularly tried to ruin his life, but at least did it for the right reasons. Hell, he'd grown weirdly comfortable around her. But part of his mind still vaguely associated Rise with the 'girl's girls', the type that infused almost every memory he had of elementary school. Pretty things, sneering with a smile and the source of nearly all his girl problems.

(Naoto, to her credit, had never caused Kanji girl problems. Naoto caused Naoto problems instead, which were ten times worse.)

Ebihara had that exact same look about her as those girls. For all he knew, she might, unlike Rise, have the personality to match.

She raised her chin, arms folded and hip tilted in a practiced sort of pose, and leveled him with a cool stare. "Hey, you. Big guy."

"Tatsumi."

"Okay, Tatsumi." He could hear the shrug in her voice, but her pose didn't change. "You hang out with Teddie, right?"

Rise folded her arms too, tighter than Ebihara's, somehow managing to look spiky under three layers of winter clothing. "Why do _you_ care?"

Oh shit. They must've met before. Kanji cleared his throat. "I, uh-"

"I asked Tatsumi, not you," Ebihara said. "You're not _always_ the center of attention."

Piranhas, Kanji thought. In big groups, they'd tear up all kinds of other fish. One-on-one, they'd eat each other.

"It doesn't matter who you asked, Ebihara-senpai," Rise shot back, with a very unpleasant emphasis on the _senpai_. "We're both Teddie's friends."

"Fine. Then do you know where he is?"

Kanji shook his head. "No. But we're lookin' for him."

"We were supposed to meet at Junes this morning and he didn't show. Usually, I'd just call him up and rip him a new one, but something's wrong with that new phone he got." Both the pose and the cool expression had faltered. Ai's eyebrows had angled in concern, and her arms were folded. "Guy stands me up and I can't even get hold of him."

"Yeah, same," Kanji said. "Uh, the getting hold part. Not that he stood me up."

Ai glanced between him and Rise, before her gaze finally settled on him. "You think he's alright? It's not that I'm _worried_, just...he was really sad over Souji's cousin being in the hospital." Her tone had softened, shifting from supercilious to something close to affection. "He's a real sweetheart."

"Don't worry, Ebihara-senpai." Rise's voice had changed too: still cautious, but softer around the edges. "We'll track him down."

"Thanks, Kujikawa." With that, Ebihara moved to walk around them. Though she hadn't said so, Kanji had the feeling she'd keep searching for Teddie herself.

…Maybe she remembered something. It was worth a shot. "Hey - uh, wait a sec, Senpai. D-Do you remember anything 'bout those murders, earlier in the year?"

Ebihara had stopped directly to his left. She stared into the fog beside him, frowning a little, and several seconds passed before she spoke. "Huh. Weird. I know it wasn't long ago, but it's - really _fuzzy_. All I remember is that the TV news wouldn't shut up about them." She glanced up at him. "Sorry."

"S'fine. Thanks anyway."

"Just let me know if you find Teddie," Ebihara said, and walked around him. She soon vanished into the fog, but Rise waited a few moments longer before speaking.

"It's kinda sad," she said, quietly. "Everyone seems to like Teddie, but Ebihara's the only person outside the team to notice he's gone."

That was a little unfair, considering Ted had vanished only two days ago, but Kanji got her point. He shrugged. "She must care about him."

"Yeah. So, I guess she's not that bad after all." Rise folded her arms and let out a soft sigh. "I heard she had a _massive_ thing for Souji-senpai, but who doesn't?"

_People into Souji Seta_ was a damn long list. Kanji figured even _he_ was on it somewhere, though maybe scrawled in pencil rather than pen. Yosuke and Rise would be fighting for top billing, Yukiko waiting to jump the victor, and as for Naoto-

"Hello, Kanji-kun, Rise-chan."

One of his least favourite things about the fog: it made it damn easy for people to sneak up on you. He jumped, startled, and pivoted toward Naoto, standing behind him. "Uh. H-Hey."

Rise peered around his back. "Oh, hey, Naoto-kun! Where've you been?"

"The police station." Naoto still looked…_rigid_, was the best word he had. "I was looking through the case records."

He shook his head. "Ain't you read all that stuff six times over by now?"

"Not with the intent of finding a second culprit. There are most likely clues I have missed."

"Like?"

"…I haven't found any yet. But certain aspects of the initial investigation are bothering me." She frowned, her lips narrowed in thought and her gaze fixed on the gaudy poster plastered by Aiya's front door. "Perhaps something we hear today will help the pieces fall into place."

Rise tipped her head. "Your investigation with Souji-senpai didn't figure it all out?"

_Uh-oh._

Rise was under stress, Kanji reminded himself. Rise was naturally emotional. Rise could, on occasion, be a real bitch.

Naoto looked at her, blinked, then frowned again. This one was different to the last. "There was no investigation. Just an exchange of theories and suspicions. Nothing worth a group discussion," she quickly added.

"Guess we wouldn't understand, huh?" Rise shot back, sweet as arsenic.

Several long seconds passed in silence, before Naoto's eyes widened in realization. "Th-That isn't what I- -Rise-chan, I'm not sure…"

Rise broke into a wide grin and latched onto Naoto's arm. "Kidding, Naoto-kun. C'mon, let's go solve this mystery!"

As she dragged Naoto away - already trying to fit the cat-eared earmuffs over Naoto's cap - Kanji tugged down his woolen hat and followed.

* * *

Souzai Daigaku was closed due to lack of business. At Shiroku, the old lady shopkeeper had vague memories of meeting Saki Konishi, but nothing else.. Gas-mask guy was scurrying around as usual, but asking him anything seemed pointless. Same went for the guy huddled at the side of the closed-down flower shop, though for an entirely different reason. Rise veered away as soon as she heard him. It was the same low, repetitive babbling Kanji had heard from those two employees in the Junes lobby, from a lady at the bus-stop, from some kid in his class hiding behind the bike rack at school.

The difference was, Kanji didn't hear it till he walked closer. He had the feeling Rise caught the voices from much further away. Or that Himiko did, but in the end, it was the same thing. Naoto kept starting conversations in what looked like an effort to distract her, each of which went about as well as you'd expect, but Rise seemed to appreciate her trying.

They'd just reached Daidara's shop when Kanji noticed two figures heading toward them through the fog, the taller one shouldering something square and bulky. He had an unpleasant suspicion about what that something might be - which was confirmed when the pair finally walked into view, and he saw the TV camera on the tall guy's shoulder.

Great. This was the second news crew he'd seen in two days, probably gathering footage for the reports shown on TV every night. How much could you really say about fog?

The two men were chatting as they walked, and didn't seem to notice the three teens at first, but when they did - or rather, when they noticed Rise - their faces lit up.

The reporter waved a hand as he approached. "Hey, Risette! Could you answer a couple of questions?" He grinned. "We need _someone_ to liven up all these fog reports."

"Sure." Rise glanced at the cameraman. "You're not rolling already, right?"

"No, but we're about set up. Give me a few seconds." He jabbed at several buttons on the side of the camera, then pointed it at Rise and rotated several rings near the front. "Okay, good to go," he said, and Rise's stadium smile immediately leapt to her lips.

The reporter turned to face the camera. "I'm here in Inaba with Risette - the famous pop idol who retired here earlier in the year. Is rural life treating you well, Risette?"

"Oh, totally! I'm just enjoying the peaceful life and spending time with my friends. Regular girl stuff."

"How do you feel about Inaba's mysterious fog? Any idea where it came from? Will you be leaving town and going back on tour?"

Rise beamed at the camera. "Sorry, I don't know much about the fog. But to all my fans, thanks so much for your support, you're amazing! Risette's been quiet for a while, but who knows for the future?"

"Great! Thanks, Risette." The reporter looked ready to stop, when Naoto - who'd been hiding somewhere behind Kanji - stepped into view. He hesitated barely an instant before homing in, the cameraman swiveling to follow. "Ah, and the Detective Prince, too! Congratulations on apprehending Taro Namatame. Will he be facing trial soon? Are you planning to leave Inaba afterwards?"

"No comment. Excuse me," Naoto muttered, then turned around and walked off into the fog.

The reporter blinked after her - then shrugged. "Ah, at least we got Risette. C'mon, Yajima, we should hit up Junes." He winked at Rise. "Thanks for the soundbite."

"No problem!" Rise replied, still smiling. She kept it up even after the reporter and cameraman had disappeared in the fog - though it'd changed, now more nostalgic than perky.

"First time that's happened since July," she said. "I seriously thought they'd given up."

Naoto stalked back into sight, the brim of her cap pulled down tight. It was never a good sign. "I wish they _would_."

"C'mon, Naoto-kun." Rise tapped the brim twice, smirking when Naoto jerked a step back. "Don't tell me there isn't a tiny part of you that likes hearing how awesome you are."

"Before...sometimes." Her jaw visibly tensed. "Now it seems like false advertising."

"Wow, now _I'm_ depressed. Why're you so down on yourself lately?"

"This investigation. It - hasn't gone well," she said. "Mistakes were made, and we still have no suspect."

Okay, so Kanji had fudged it when he tried to encourage her yesterday. But he'd keep on trying, dammit. "Remember when Kubo got arrested? We all quit right then. Kicked back and never stopped to ask if he was really guilty." He'd thought about it, once or twice, wondering what would've happened if they'd just given up. Who else might've died. And, occasionally, he remembered the raw mix of anger and terror he'd felt when Naoto almost _had_. "You showed us we were wrong, even if y'did pick a stupid, reckless way to do it."

"You turned Kanji-kun's hair white," added Rise, unhelpfully. "Not that anyone could tell."

"It _was_ reckless," Naoto admitted. "But it furthered the investigation. Since then, I've contributed little." She sighed again, soft and quiet. "We spend so much time doing other things."

"Well, we're working on it now," Rise said lightly, then clapped her hands together. "Okay, guys, we can split up. I'll take the bookstore while you two talk to Daidara." Her expression was somewhere between a grimace and a wince. "He's kinda weird."

Bittersweet experience told Kanji that Rise just might've had ulterior motives. Specifically, matchmaking ones. Her tactic of throwing him and Naoto at each other hadn't worked yet and wouldn't now, but he nodded all the same - and, as Rise wandered off to the bookstore, Naoto pushed open the door to Daidara's shop and walked through.

Inside, Daidara was standing at the wooden counter, which was covered in a frightening large array of knives and daggers. He had one in his left hand, a cloth in the other, and for once, no cigarette hanging from his lips.

He looked up at the sound of the shop bell. "Ah, Tatsumi!" he boomed.

Kanji grinned. "Yo, Daidara-san."

Daidara's gaze flickered to Naoto. "And the young detective, too. Planning more adventures? I have a few new pieces in progress."

She stepped toward the counter, hands clasped firmly behind her back. "Actually, we would like to hear any recollections you have of the murders that occurred earlier this year."

A long moment passed in silence, Daidara polishing the dagger in his hand, before he finally spoke. "I knew the Konishi girl. Had to warn off a man who was bothering her down by the river. Very badly dressed, looked like he'd slept in his suit."

Which, going by his story yesterday, had probably been Namatame. They were going in circles. "Anythin' else?" Kanji asked.

"Afraid not. I rarely leave this district."

Kanji hadn't expected much, but he still felt a little disappointed. Would've been neat if him and Naoto could've found the crucial clue together. "Well, thanks anyway," he said. "For being cool with the questions."

"Yes," Naoto said, sounding thoughtful. "You've been quite helpful."

Daidara nodded, and they both turned to leave - except Naoto stopped halfway and looked back at him. "Daidara-san. Have you - ever wondered exactly _why_ we request so much armour and weaponry?"

Holy crap, what was she _doing_? Daidara had never asked why they needed him to make swords and greaves and guns, hadn't seemed to care where they got the materials or the money to pay him. The team been happy to let the question go unasked and unanswered, because once you started with the rescue missions, you got into the television world and the idea of Personas, none of which an adult would ever get. Kanji rounded on Naoto almost on reflex, opened his mouth to speak - but Daidara got there first.

He barked out a low, smoke-rough laugh. "My dear, you and your friends aren't the first children to bear such responsibility," he said, and winked. "Good luck - and don't give up."

…_What_?

Naoto blinked, caught Kanji's equally wide-eyed stare - then, with a mumbled goodbye to Daidara, turned around and walked out of the shop.

Outside, Kanji opened his mouth to speak, closed it, then opened it again to stammer, "D-Did he mean…"

Naoto was staring wide-eyed at the shop door, clearly trying not to look surprised and clearly failing. "Very little would surprise me, now." She gestured to the bookstore next to Daidara's. "We should wait for Rise."

Why Rise wasn't already finished talking to the owner, Kanji wasn't sure. Maybe the guy remembered something. Either way, it meant more time spent more or less alone with Naoto, which was no doubt exactly what Rise wanted. Maybe what _he _wanted, too.

He'd grown - comfortable was stretching it, but Kanji could proudly say he'd become no-longer-massively-uncomfortable around Naoto Shirogane. This had brought with it a whole new set of problems. Like the fact that he wasn't as afraid to look at her, which meant he'd been doing it a lot more, which in turn had led to him developing a few borderline-creepy fascinations.

Her eyes, he'd always found attractive. And he'd liked something - maybe everything - about her from the moment they'd met, in an abstract, 'Naoto looks and is awesome' kind of way. But now he kept noticing her hands (slim fingers with small callouses from the way she held her gun) and her hair (dark and silken, rogue tufts poking out from under her cap) and her lips (narrower than a girl's and slightly pale, but soft-looking, and they'd probably feel amazing if he just-)

"Is something wrong?" Naoto asked.

Shit. He must've been staring. "S-Sorry. I was…" _Thinking about something I shouldn't, because it'll never happen and you'd hate me if you knew._ "Thinking," he said, and hoped she wouldn't push him into a lie.

For an instant, Naoto looked slightly alarmed, but her expression immediately leveled out. "Ah. As was I, actually. Has - " She stopped and frowned. "Has Take-Mikazuchi recently made any attempt at contact?"

"Contact?"

"You stated previously that he rarely speaks to you, and though he does not use words, he nonetheless makes his presence known." It was flat and rapid, but still sounded a little anxious. "Has he done so since the fog set in?"

"Once or twice. He's been - quiet, I s'pose." Kanji shrugged and tapped the side of his head. "But I guess he's still up here."

"I see."

"Probably a good thing he's lying low. Rise's won't shut up." Maybe that thought would make Naoto feel better - because although Kanji couldn't identify the look in her eyes right now, it was worrying him all the same.

She glanced at the shop window. "I wonder why she's taking so long."

Kanji wandered closer, weaving around the tables covered in books, and peered through the glass. A display was blocking most of the window, but, unlike Naoto, he was tall enough to see over the top. Inside the shop, the owner was jabbering at Rise, showing her various books with her photo on the cover, while she smiled and nodded politely.

"She's - gonna be a while, I think." Kanji gestured to the tables. "You, uh, could look at the books."

Naoto hummed thoughtfully, and went to browse through what, based on the titles he could see, looked like the "Horribly Grisly Fiction" table. He skimmed the other tables himself, nothing really catching his eye - until he found the manga section. There, underneath a couple of Kujibiki Unbalance books, was the latest Witch Detective volume. One he'd bought on order, as usual, but hadn't had time to read with so much other crap going on.

He picked up the book and started paging through. The last volume had ended on a real cliffhanger: the Witch Detective facing off against her feline nemesis Meowriarty, who'd just been about to-

"'Witch Detective'?"

Kanji froze - book in hand, his entire life flashing before his eyes.

He swiveled round to face Naoto, who'd been peering around his left side. "No it ain't! Okay, yeah, it is, but so what?"

Her gaze switched from him, to the book, and back again. "Do you - enjoy the series?"

Kanji's love for Witch Detective had endured four years, several mediocre storylines, and one totally wretched animated movie. He'd even knitted a couple of dolls, back when he first got started making them. It was, without a doubt, his single most favourite manga ever.

He swallowed and resisted the urge to claw off his own face. "No. Maybe. Doesn't matter." Before Naoto could ask any more terrible questions, he put down the manga and grabbed a random book from the next table.

"I thought you weren't interested in dictionaries?" Naoto said, and he realized he'd picked up a copy of the Daijisen.

"N-No, I - I just thought 'bout getting one a few months back." Kanji had wanted to broaden his vocabulary enough to have a real conversation with Naoto - until he'd realized that, no matter what words they both used, they'd always be speaking different languages.

"Yes, I remember. I can provide one. If you require it." Her mouth narrowed into a flat line. "According to Rise-chan, I have already swallowed one dictionary, so clearly I have no need of a spare."

"Uh. Th-Thanks, but you don't hafta-" he began - then, on seeing Naoto's slightly crestfallen look, quickly backtracked. "That'd be awesome. Thanks, Naoto."

"I'll bring it to school next week." She glanced at the shop door. "I ought to retrieve Rise-chan. I doubt the owner has anything useful to contribute to our investigation."

Kanji shrugged. "Nobody does."

Naoto's expression turned anxious again. It was muted, as usual, but an avid observer like Kanji could learn to read her cues. "I keep trying to devise new theories, examine the case from various angles, but…" She let out a breath, forming a cloud in the cool air. "Well. I will fetch Rise-chan."

She walked around him, heading to the shop door - until, on impulse, he laid a palm on her shoulder. In the split-second after he'd done it, Kanji fully expected her to smack his hand away. She didn't.

"Hey. I-I meant what I said, before," he told her. "You're really good at what you do."

Naoto's wide-eyed stare shifted into a smile; only half of one, but it looked genuine. "Thank you."

* * *

"I hate to say this," Chie said, between mouthfuls of the new Aiya Snowy Day Special, "but today was a massive waste of time."

Yosuke sighed and poked at his egg fried rice. "Yeah, I know. We spent the whole morning canvassing Junes and nobody was talking about the case at all."

"I probably answered more questions than I asked," said Rise. "Including some from a TV crew."

"You know, I've seen a few in town recently. I think they're covering the fog." Yukiko's expression turned dark. "Thankfully, none of them are staying at the inn."

Naoto was perched on a stool at the counter, palms pressed against her knees. Her dish of gyōza looked almost untouched. "Their presence is to be expected. Inaba is reappearing on national news sites. Only brief mentions, but still."

Damn. It felt like the town had only just gotten _out_ of the headlines; around the time Yamano died, you couldn't spit without hitting a TV camera, and both Kubo's surrender and Namatame's capture had brought more than a few back. Local news was bad enough. National channels rolling in and stirring shit up just pissed Kanji off.

"Lot of people talking about it on Twitter as well." Yosuke loved that kind of crap. He'd tried and failed to talk the rest of the team into signing up too. "Couple of Inaba tags, though they're basically full of dumb conspiracy theories and ghost stories."

Souji's eyebrows arched. "Ghost stories?"

"Yeah, you know. _The town devoured by inexplicable fog! _They're blaming angry gods, vengeful spirits – even Junes. Big surprise there."

"Figures," Kanji muttered. "Half the people I asked weren''t interested in talking 'bout anything _except_ the stupid fog."

"That or the Midnight Channel." Chie shrugged. "Dunno why, it wasn't showing anything last night."

Kanji hadn't even thought to tune in. Did the Midnight Channel work with snow? "You watched it?"

"Yeah. I thought - well, maybe there'd be something on there. A clue." She sighed. "Some hope."

"You got anything, Naoto?" Yosuke asked. "Any new, uh...deductions?"

"Without any concrete new data to work with, there's little I can do. The police had an unusually large number of officers in their initial investigation of the first two incidents. To find facts even they overlooked would be difficult indeed, now that over half a year has passed." She pressed two fingers against her lips. "I've been entertaining various ideas and theories, but those are mere conjecture."

A faint, thoughtful frown had formed between Souji's brows. Like Naoto, he'd barely eaten any of his meal. "Were there any reports of suspicious people? Hanging around the inn, the shopping district, any other places the victims would have been?"

Naoto hesitated, then shook her head. "Not at the time."

In response, Rise made a small, frustrated sound. "Ugh, I don't get it. Inaba's a small town," she said, voice low. "The killer must've been amazing to have pulled all this off without being seen by _anyone_."

"…Not necessarily." Naoto had dropped her volume too, and was eyeing Otsuka at the other end of the counter. "A person can be invisible in various ways. Think of Namatame and the delivery van. Our culprit may have been hiding in plain sight all along."

"So there's no point asking people what they remember," Yosuke said. "Meaning, we're stuck."

"At present. But there must be someone in town who meets all the criteria for this case."

"Criteria?" Souji asked.

"First, a connection to both Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi." Naoto was listing them off on her fingers. "Second, a position allowing them to periodically observe our actions. And third, the ability to approach the first two victims _and_ Souji-senpai's house without arousing suspicion."

"A lot of people could walk up to the front door. Pretty much anyone in a work uniform, like Namatame." Souji's frown deepened. "The first two requirements are more specific, but even then, I have no idea."

A silence fell, heavy as lead. Kanji glanced around the team, all of who looked like they were thinking way too hard. For a wild moment, he hoped one of them might come up with an answer, because he sure as hell wouldn't - but before anyone else could speak, Naoto stood from her seat at the counter. "I need some fresh air. I'll be outside."

An icy blast of wind blew through the shop when she opened the door - both Rise and Yosuke telling her in concert to get out and shut the door, didn't she know how _cold_ it was?

"I don't get why she's going out there to begin with," Rise said, once the door was closed.

Kanji did. One of those things that supposedly helped Naoto think. He'd figured thinking would be easier sitting indoors someplace warm, but that was Naoto for you.

Souji stood, suddenly, and flipped his scarf back around his neck. "Be right back."

Then _he_ went outside too, sending more freezing air into the shop - and a sharp, stupid pang of envy through Kanji. The worst part was, it made sense; Senpai would want to hang out with someone smart, someone who actually had a chance of solving this case.

Moments later, Yosuke got up too, and Chie grabbed his sleeve. "Hey, where are you going?"

He nodded toward the door. "Everyone else is heading out there."

"No, only the smart people went. You're off the hook."

"Very funny," he muttered, then broke away from her grip, opened the door to yet another blast of cold air, and disappeared outside.

Yukiko frowned. "I thought Yosuke didn't like the cold."

"He doesn't," Chie said, with something that wasn't quite a laugh. "But if Souji jumped off a cliff, Yosuke would be clinging to his ankles the whole way down."

"I…guess Senpai wants to talk to Naoto-kun about the case," Rise said, so quietly Kanji thought he might be the only one who could hear her. "I wish we could do more to help."

"We can," Kanji told her, "once we know who really did it. We'll kick their ass."

"_You'll_ kick their ass," Rise corrected. "I'll stand behind you saying occasionally helpful stuff."

The four of them returned to their meals, and, in the case of the three girls, speculating about the Midnight Channel and what they'd heard about it at school. About five minutes passed before Yosuke hurried back in, with melting snow clinging to his coat and his cheeks and nose both tinged red.

He settled on Naoto's former seat at the counter and rubbed his hands together for warmth. "Man, the snow's started up again."

"What happened to Souji and Naoto-kun?" asked Yukiko.

"Eloped to have the world's smartest babies." Yosuke said - with what Kanji swore was a wink in his direction. "Nah, kidding. Souji left to visit Nanako-chan and Naoto said she needed to check some stuff at the police station. So I'm all you get."

Chie sighed and pushed back from the table. "Then we'd better call it quits for today. We'll have to work on this more after school tomorrow."

* * *

At least the snow wasn't heavy. Nonetheless, Kanji would've preferred to watch it from indoors, rather than stand outside the tofu store with snowflakes catching on his homemade woolen hat - particularly when Rise had spent the last two minutes fussing with her bag of Souji-targeted food.

"Don't see why I've gotta go too," he said. "S'gonna be weird."

Rise rolled her eyes. "I told you, I don't wanna walk through the fog alone." Finally, she held out her bag and winked at him. "Don't worry, I promise not to hit on Souji-senpai too much while you're in the room."

He grabbed the bag and slung it over his shoulder. Felt like she'd put rocks in there. Which, knowing Rise's cooking, probably wasn't far from the truth. "Like I care," he muttered. "But I thought Senpai was visiting Nanako-chan tonight?"

"Yeah, he is. He's probably still at the hospital." She frowned. "He barely ate anything at Aiya earlier, so I'm going to make sure he eats a good dinner."

Kanji grimaced. "So we're gonna sit on his doorstep and get snowed on?"

"No, silly! He said Adachi-san offered him a ride home again," Rise said. "He'll be home around eight, and we'll get there around eight fifteen - provided you stop fussing and start walking!" she finished, and poked him in the side for emphasis.

They set out into the fog. Given the weather, catching the bus would've been a better idea, but they ran so infrequently now that Kanji and Rise would probably spend as much time waiting at the stop as it would take them to walk to Souji's house. It just made Kanji nervous, trying to cross roads and bridges when he couldn't see more than a meter ahead, especially knowing that nobody else could either. It reminded him of how everything had looked during his first time inside the television, when Souji and the team had been helping him back from the bathhouse. Ted had told him not to worry, he'd get his own pair of glasses soon and then he'd be able to see just as well as-

Kanji paused. Glasses saw through fog inside the TV. Who was to say they wouldn't work out here?

He unzipped his coat, pulled them from the left inside pocket, put them on - and the fog vanished.

Save for the snow, his vision was crystal clear. Man, why hadn't he thought of this sooner? "Yo, Rise. Put your glasses on."

"What?"

"Your TV glasses. Put 'em on."

Rise pulled them from her pocketbook and slipped them on. Her first response was a gasp - quickly followed by, "Whoa, Kanji-kun, we have to tell Souji-senpai about this!"

"We'll tell 'im when we get to his house." A small, eager part of Kanji hoped Senpai would be impressed, realize that Tatsumi wasn't just good for breaking stuff.

As they walked on, Rise seemed more relaxed, like having the glasses somehow helped her. Maybe if she could see through the fog, it stopped Himiko from constantly trying to do so for her. Kanji hoped so - because another, darker thought had struck him. Glasses worked on fog inside the TV. Glasses also worked on the fog out here. It confirmed what he and some of the others had already suggested: that the fog was now the same in both places, spread from one to the other. And if that was the case, who knew what else had come over with it? No wonder people in town were getting so screwed up.

They arrived at Souji's house around fifteen minutes later - recognizable if not by sight, then by the three stray cats lurking on top of the wall out front - but the windows were dark. Rise made a small, annoyed sound. "Ugh, the lights aren't on. I hope Senpai didn't get delayed, I don't wanna wait outside in this weather."

Kanji moved closer and peered around the wall. "You won't have to. Door's open." The light above it was off, too, casting the whole house in darkness.

"Why would it -" Rise slipped around his side and called out through the doorway. "Hey, Souji-senpai? Are you home?"

Nothing.

Kanji held out his arm, blocking her from moving further forward. "Get behind me," he whispered, his muscles already tensing - then stepped inside the house.

It was dark, as he'd expected, and he immediately swung around the door, in case someone was waiting to jump them. Nobody was there. He couldn't hear any sounds of movement, either, not even slight shuffling noises or the sound of someone's breath. He took a deep breath, and flicked on the lights.

After squinting for a few moments as his eyes adjusted, Kanji could see that the living room was definitely empty. Could be someone upstairs, though, and he briefly considered heading up there to check - until he noticed Senpai's coat strewn on the kitchen floor.

Souji had clearly been home. But why would he have left the door open and just tossed his coat down? "Something's up. Senpai musta come back, but-"

"Kanji-kun," Rise cut in, disturbingly quiet.

"What?"

"These snow tracks." She pointed at a trail of melting snow, starting by the front door. "Look where they lead."

Kanji's eyes traced the snow across the living room floor, around the broken kotatsu, to the front of the television - where they stopped dead.

He gulped. "Oh, _shit_."

"But why would Senpai jump -" Rise shook her head, fists clenched in front of her chest. "He _wouldn't_, something's wrong, we have to go after him!"

Instinct told Kanji to do just that: jump right in, get Senpai back out. A smaller, more rational part said they didn't know for certain he was even in there. Another part again remembered exactly why they'd only ever gone to the TV world via Junes. "Man, we can't go in here! Remember what Ted said 'bout using different TVs?"

"I don't care! Going to Junes is gonna take too long and I might not even be able to find him. I'm going inside, are you gonna come with me or not?"

A few months back, when Naoto had been missing, Kanji had said exactly the same thing. Rise had followed. "I gotta. You did the same for me." He glanced at the TV - much smaller than the one at Junes - and grimaced. "Ain't sure I can _fit_ in there, though."

"You'll find a way," Rise said, and climbed in head-first.

Dammit - he'd wanted to go first, take care of what was on the other side, but he should've guessed she wouldn't keep her cool right now. Just like he'd been with Naoto. Kanji took a deep breath, knelt in front of the television, and began to wriggle his way inside. His shoulders were the toughest part, but after a lot of twisting, he finally popped through. There was the usual burst of black and white static, the familar lurching of his stomach - and he hit the floor hard. Falling headfirst was a lot more painful than jumping.

The first thing he noticed was the red and black tiles under his face. The next was Souji and Teddie, standing in front of him and squaring off against one of the biggest Minotaurs he'd ever seen.

"Rise? Kanji?" Souji's breath came in gasps. "Wh-What the hell are you-"

Rise was already on her feet. "Senpai!"

"Oh, Rise-chan, you shouldn't be here!" Teddie's furrowed look of worry immediately shifted into a beaming smile. "But since you are, could you help us out?"

"Got it!" she said, and clasped her hands together, Himiko shimmering into the empty space behind her.

Kanji fell in line beside Souji and smacked a palm into one fist. "An' I'm ready too, Senpai!"

"I can't believe you both tried to…" The frustration quickly drained from his voice, replaced by a reproachful resignation. "We are _definitely_ having a talk about this later."

Teddie stepped back from the Minotaur. "Sensei, Kanji-chan, keep the Shadows busy and I'll make a way out! I just have to figure out where we are…"

Good question. There was thick fog everywhere Kanji looked, even after he'd put his glasses on. This place didn't look like any of the other worlds he'd seen; it didn't look like anything much at all.

He glanced at Souji, who was still breathing hard and clutching his stomach. "Heal up, Senpai. I got this." Then he willed his card into his hand and crushed it - sending Take-Mikazuchi roaring out, cast in the blue light of Souji evoking beside them. The Persona drew back his fist, lightning crackling over his hand, and smashed it into the Minotaur.

The Shadow staggered back, and a follow-through Ziodyne sent it crashing to the floor. It vanished in a puff of purple smoke. Kanji was almost disappointed that the fight was over so soon - until two more Minotaurs emerged from the fog. "Dammit, how many of them are there?"

"We're in empty space," Ted said. He was still staring around the fog, presumably searching for whatever he needed to make an exit. "They're everywhere, and they won't stop coming."

"Ted and I fought nine already," Souji added.

Nine? Damn, this wasn't good. Souji evoked again - a different Persona now, the skeletal White Rider - and shot a stream of fire directly into the closer of the Shadows, almost singing Kanji on the way. He dodged sideways, called a Maziodyne as he moved. Take-Mikazuchi clapped his hands together, loud as thunder, and the bolts ripped through both Minotaurs. They sputtered out of existence, only to be replaced by three more. The leftmost immediately raised its hands - and a blast of ice shards ripped through the air.

A split-second later and Kanji wouldn't have pulled his shield up in time. The shards smashed into it, driving him backward and making the metal painfully cold to the touch. Over the sound of shattering ice, he heard Souji calling his name. "M'fine," he managed through clenched teeth. "Just keep those bastards back!"

The air popped, suddenly, like it was being pushed aside. When Kanji glanced over his shoulder, Ted was standing next to a television stack. "Okay, everyone, time to go go go! Jump in, Rise-chan!"

They climbed back out, one by one, Souji holding off the Shadows with White Rider until everyone else was safely through. All four of them tumbled gracelessly back into the Dojimas' living room; Kanji wound up sprawled over Teddie. "Ow! Kanji-chan, you're too heavy!"

"You might've shut the front door," said Souji.

Kanji rolled off Teddie and pulled himself to his feet. "Give us a break, Senpai, me and Rise were-"

"Um - c-could one of you help me out?" Rise cut in. Glancing over, Kanji realized she was clutching her left forearm, and her fingers were stained with blood.

Souji was by her side in an instant. "What happened?"

"An ice shard clipped me. Nothing major," she said, with a weak smile.

"I could've healed you back in there." He shook his head. "Damn it, why didn't you say anything?"

"Because we needed to get out, Senpai. And - it's really not that bad." She didn't sound convinced, and Kanji felt an awkward twist of guilt in his chest; after Souji, Rise was the one person the team all tried to protect. "B-Besides, I've spent months watching the rest of you get knocked around by Shadows. About time I took my turn, right?"

Souji was already halfway to the kitchen. "_Don't_. It's not a joke, Rise, your Persona can't -" He trailed off with an unhappy grunt, then opened the cupboard under the sink and pulled out a dusty-looking first aid kit.

…No way would Senpai have jumped in the television by himself. He couldn't have even been certain he'd make it back out without Teddie. Did that mean someone else was involved? "Senpai, how the hell did y'end up in there?"

"Adachi."

Holy _crap_. "_What_?"

Kanji didn't like Adachi, had never liked Adachi - but because the guy was useless and tactless. Not because he freaking threw people in televisions, because how would a moron like him even manage it?

…But what if he _had_, and he'd done it to Yamano and Saki too?

"He gave me a ride home. I got out of his car, went and unlocked the front door, and he - put a gun to my head." There was a shake at the edge of Souji's voice that he was clearly trying to hide. The effort made the words sound unnatural. "Then he forced me inside and shoved me headfirst through the screen."

"Holy shit," Kanji breathed. "I didn't - I thought the guy was an dick, but-"

"I know. If you told me yesterday what he'd do..." Souji trailed off, shaking his head. He was trying to clean Rise's wound, making her wince at the antiseptic.

"_I_ always thought Adachi-san seemed k-kinda nice," she managed. "B-But why the TV, Senpai? Why didn't he just shoot you?"

"Think about it. Gunshot murders are pretty familiar ground for the police. When someone dies inside the television, the coroners can't tell anything."

"D'you think he knew we were looking for a new culprit?" Kanji asked.

Souji shrugged. He'd moved on to trying to bandage Rise's forearm, though he hadn't put a gauze pad on first and the bandages looked far too loose. "Probably, if he's been watching us. Naoto's been working with him too, she might've let something slip." He paused. "And after we all talked in Aiya...I started to have doubts about him. I might've asked a few too many questions."

"And so the bastard tried to get rid of you."

"He would have, if not for Teddie."

"Plus a bear-y big dose of luck." Ted glared at Souji, hands on narrow hips. "The TV world is huge, Sensei! I don't know how you managed to land so near to me."

"I don't know why you were in there to start with." Senpai's voice was quiet, but not gentle. Kanji couldn't blame him.

"I - I thought Nanako-chan was gone," Teddie said, equally quietly. "And you were mad at everyone."

"...I wasn't angry at you."

He rounded on Souji, fists clenched, an incongruous frown carved deep into his forehead. "Why _not_? Chie-chan, Yuki-chan, Nao-chan, you were so angry at them for what happened and so nice to me but it was _the same thing_, and I don't get it!"

"Not now, Ted," Souji hissed.

Rise gripped his arm with her good hand. "C'mon, Senpai. You never brush anyone off like that."

He glanced at her, then turned back to Teddie - with this strange new expression, something between remorse and desperation. "You're...different. You didn't know what you were doing."

"I _did_. I remember it. I remember what I was thinking," Ted insisted. "And I can help fix Rise-chan."

Kanji blinked at him. What was he gonna do, evoke? "Y'can?"

Ted puffed out his underwhelming chest. "One of the supervisors at Junes showed me First Lemonade, in case anyone got hurt in the store." He knelt beside Rise and peered at the bandage wrapped haphazardly around her arm. "I'm still learning, but I can definitely do better than this."

"I never said I was good at _everything_," Souji pointed out.

Rise's smile was pained but genuine. "I'm impressed, Teddie. And when you're done, I'm gonna yell at you so bad for making me worry."

As Ted began tending to her wounded arm, Souji retrieved his phone from his coat pocket. "We need to call the others. Get everyone together, go get that bastard and-" He paused, frowning at the screen. "Huh. Naoto called."

"She only ever texts me," Kanji muttered without thinking.

"Same. She says it gets to the point quicker. But she didn't leave a message."

Something wasn't right about that. Naoto must've had a reason for calling rather than texting, so why hadn't she let Souji know?

A thought struck Kanji; a very, very bad one. He yanked his phone from his pocket - almost dropping it on the floor in his hurry - and flipped it open. "Damn, she called me too...hold on, she left a voicemail." He switched the phone to speaker then played the message back.

Except there _wasn't_ a message. Just a sudden clattering at the start, followed by faint, rapid footsteps and a muffled voice that Kanji couldn't make out.

"Maybe it's a pocket dial," Souji said.

The tape was still playing, though the voice had suddenly stopped. Then more footsteps, even faster - and a loud, sharp bang.

Kanji's throat seemed to close up. "I-I don't think so, Senpai."

The message had ended there, with - whatever the sound was. A gunshot, maybe, except he didn't want to consider that, because then Naoto might be-

"What was that noise?" Ted asked. "Is Naoto-chan okay?"

Beside him, Rise was wide-eyed with dismay. "Senpai, that sounded like-"

"She's probably still at the station," Souji said, quick and firm. "I'll call the front desk."

Naoto had gone to the station after Aiya. Souji might not be the only obstacle Adachi wanted to remove. Kanji felt his stomach clench in on itself and twist into cold knots as he watched Senpai put his phone to his ear.

"Hello, this is Souji Seta, Detective Dojima's nephew. Is Detective Shirogane currently in the building?" A pause - and the colour washed instantly from his face. "I see. No, you don't have to take a message. Thanks for your help."

Kanji stared at him. "Senpai?"

Souji's face was pale; his expression a strained neutral; his eyes horrified. "He said Naoto left ten minutes ago. With Adachi."


	35. Interlude 9

_A/N: You might have noticed that Shortest Distance now has some awesome cover-art. It's by Kharta ( kharta DOT deviantart DOT com) and the link to the full-size version is in my profile (since FFN makes it horribly difficult to post links anywhere else)  
_

_He's a very talented guy, and does a lot of excellent Naoto-centric work. Definitely recommend checking out his DA page.  
_

_...Right, story time. Naoto interlude again.  
_

___(EDIT: Thanks to Tempest Kiro for helping figure out what I didn't make clear in the first version.)_

_Story so far: Kanji helped Souji narrowly survive being thrown in his uncle's television - but they both missed a very important call.  
_

_In this part: Naoto kicks out, and Kanji dives in.  
_

* * *

**December 5th, 2011**

_We found nothing_, Souji had said, three hours ago in the snow outside Aiya. _Maybe there was nothing to find._

The detective in Naoto vehemently disagreed with this on principle; refused even to entertain the possibility. The rest - exhausted from chasing one dead-end trail after another - wondered if Souji might have been absolutely right. He'd stood with her and Yosuke for fifteen minutes under the falling snow, all of them racking their brains and ransacking their memories for some sort of clue.

Finally, Yosuke had sighed, and said, _It feels like the answer's lost in the fog._

But unsolved mysteries and unanswered questions were intolerable, as were criminals who went unpunished - and something in Yosuke's words had resonated with Naoto, tripped some mental switch. She'd quickly made her excuses and set out for the police station. Hours later, she was still sitting alone at her borrowed desk, poring over the reports from the first two murders. Almost all the other detectives were stuck in a protocol meeting, leaving her alone in the main office.

Inaba's fog now obscured everything beyond a two meter radius. Something lost in it could be far away - or merely a few inches out of reach. Could the same be true for this case?

Namatame had kidnapped his victims under the guise of a deliveryman, and had thus been near invisible to the general public. Presumably the true culprit was too. The police had combed the town for suspects, and found nothing - which alone said little given their incompetence, but neither Naoto nor the team had fared any better. Either the culprit was immensely talented at committing their crimes unnoticed, or-

Naoto paused.

Or they were hiding somewhere the police would never think to look.

An insider job? It was hardly an impossible scenario. She'd investigated one such case before, though that had involved fraud and corruption rather than murder. The trail had led to a network of perpetrators, including one of the detectives involved in the investigation.

For the fifth time, she flipped through the report on Saki Konishi's death. By now, she'd practically memorized the contents - but perhaps the crucial clue was not what the reports said, but who had filed them. Each of various forms and transcribed interviews were signed by two people. As head detective, Ishikawa had signed off on them all, while Dojima had signed only two, both at the tail end of the investigation. The rest all bore Adachi's chicken-scratch signature. Mayumi Yamano's file was more or less the same; Adachi had signed the evidence forms, the statement from Yukiko's mother concerning Yamano's presence at the inn, and the transcripts of the three interviews he conducted with Konishi.

...Three?

Interviewing a witness so many times was unusual. It might be justified if they were somehow been suspected of involvement, but Konishi had possessed both a solid alibi and no discernible motive. Besides, Tohru Adachi was hardly famed for his diligence. He'd been assigned as Yamano's bodyguard and yet hadn't been able to -

Hadn't been able to protect her. Hadn't tried to. Hadn't wanted to, because he -

"Not in the meeting, huh?"

Naoto glanced up. Adachi stood on the other side of the open plan office, wearing that smile: the broad, clueless one that had always been so irritating. He began to walk toward her.

"As a consultant, I'm not required to attend," she said, quickly sweeping the papers back into their files.

Adachi was in front of her desk now, hands shoved in the pockets of his rumpled suit. Daidara's comment when Kanji and Naoto had visited his shop had bothered her at the time, though she hadn't been able to explain why. Now, it made terrible sense.

"Man, you're lucky," Adachi said, with a shake of his head. His smile vanished, replaced by a concerned frown. "Hey, Shirogane - can we talk?"

She swallowed, hard. "About what."

"Dojima's nephew, Souji Seta. You're his friend, right?" Adachi looked down at her - angled brows, a slight crease in his forehead - then leaned over her desk and lowered his voice to a whisper. "I drove him home just now and I think he might be in some trouble."

...Of course.

Among the detectives, it was well-known, if never-mentioned, that whenever Dojima chose to drink himself into a stupor, Adachi would drive him home. Adachi knew where Dojima lived - and in turn, Souji. Delivering those notes would have been trivial.

"What sort of trouble, exactly?" Naoto heard herself ask.

Adachi glanced around the office, biting his lip - such a good actor, but then he had to be - then tipped his head toward the corridor. "C'mon. We'll talk it over in the interrogation room, fewer people eavesdropping."

"The office is empty at present."

"Only because of the meeting. They'll be back out soon, and you know what they're like." A roll of his eyes and a knowing smile, as if they were both in on some joke. "Trust me, my mouth's already gotten me in plenty of trouble."

Naoto had heard Dojima berate Adachi for a variety of transgressions. One of which had been his tendency to talk to Dojima's nephew and his friends, _those damn kids are already mixed up in this crap somehow, Adachi, last thing I need is you making it worse. _She'd seen him at Junes on multiple occasions while watching Souji and the others - never imagining that he might be doing exactly the same thing.

Ability to go unnoticed. Means to observe the team's activities. Knowledge of Souji's home address, and the ability to approach the house without arousing suspicion.

And, like that, the single missing piece of the puzzle finally snapped into place.

Naoto stood from her chair. "Very well, Adachi-san."

The interrogation room was the obvious choice. It was the only room in the building other than the break-room that contained a television. She glanced Adachi up and down: no real muscle tone, but still a head taller than her. She would not be able to overpower him alone. Her revolver was in its holster, tied to her ankle; one of the few ways an unlicensed consultant could discreetly bring a weapon into the station. If Adachi saw her reach down, he might guess she-

He grinned at her, stretched mouth and too many teeth. "Don't worry. This won't take long."

Naoto studied him for a long moment, one hand still gripping the back of her chair, then nodded.

They weaved through the cluttered desks, Adachi leading and Naoto following close behind, until they reached the doorway. He gestured for her to go through first, and it was so perfect - the ideal moment for her to make a break for the meeting room - that she darted forward without thinking.

She made it two steps into the corridor before Adachi grabbed her right arm and wrenched it behind her back. Startled, she tried instinctively to jerk out of his grip, until he twisted harder. Pain shot through her arm, forcing her to remain still.

Something rigid and sharp pressed against the small of her back, cold through her shirt. "What's the hurry, Shirogane?"

Her left arm was free, but Adachi's grip made it impossible to reach her holster. Escape was the best she could hope for.

_Remain calm. _Naoto reached out to Sukuna-Hikona on instinct, and heard nothing.

"We are in a police station," she whispered. "Shoot me, and you'll be brought down in seconds."

"And if I don't, you'll go blabbing to your friends all about big, bad Adachi-san." He leaned closer, his breath warm against her ear. "Which of us has more to lose?"

Her options were hopelessly limited. She could try to break out of his grasp, or demean herself by crying for help. The outcomes would be identical. Adachi had killed twice already. The third possibility was to do exactly as he said, and hope for an opening. Naoto forced her muscles to relax, a challenging task - particularly when he unhooked his handcuffs from his belt and cuffed her hands behind her back.

Obedience, in this case, might get her killed as surely as resistance. Adachi shoved her forward, gun still pressed against her back. As they started walking, she realized they were still heading toward the interrogation room.

"I have a P-Persona. If you throw me in, I can defend myself," she said, desperately willing the shake out of her voice. Adachi had heard it, and he let out a snide chuckle.

"You c-couldn't hold out forever, Sh-Shirogane," he mocked. "Not by yourself. Things have changed over there, believe me."

"Disposing of me will accomplish nothing. The others will put the pieces together."

"Not without Seta," Adachi said, almost offhandedly, and Naoto's stomach plunged. She opened her mouth to ask what he meant, what he'd _done_, but he cut her off. "Besides, this is more for…personal satisfaction."

"What?"

"Let me tell you a story, kid. Back in the spring, some scrawny little brat with a big mouth barged his way into a murder investigation and treated everyone involved like idiots. Took all the credit too, once Kubo was found. Even got himself interviewed on a television show."

Naoto bristled on reflex. "I never wanted to be-"

"Then he went on TV for real. And we learned what a screwed-up _guy_ he really was." Adachi chuckled again: a cold, hollow sound. "See, Shirogane, there's a whole bunch of _rumours_ going around about you right now." He leaned in again, close enough that she could smell stale cigarette ash on his breath. "The kind that could really piss people off."

Naoto had never openly acknowledged her physical sex to any of her work colleagues. She'd heard the whispered comments, witnessed the confused stares, and she already _knew_ there were rumours - but they'd stayed just that. Nobody had yet cared enough to pursue them. Naoto had fully expected problems when someone finally did. She hadn't, however, expected them from Adachi.

...No. Her personal situation had nothing to do with the case or Adachi's crimes. This was an attempt to confuse her, to distract her from planning her escape. She grit her teeth and tried to slow her breath before she spoke. "That is irrelevant, Adachi-san. Turn yourself in now and perhaps-"

Adachi swung her sharply left and shoved her face-first against the wall. The impact forced the breath from her lungs. "You never quit, do you?"

He'd wrenched her arms again, this time twisting them so the cuffs dug into her wrists. At least he couldn't see her wince. "My role is to-"

"Your _role_? How about 'annoying little shit'? Every other idiot in this department would've left Kubo to rot and let Namatame take the fall. But you, you always keep _pushing," _Adachi spat. "Typical interfering _bitch_."

Raw anger flared inside her. _This_ was the reason she'd lied for so long, the Adachis she would've faced at every turn, and the frustrated, childish part of her wanted to lash out verbally, if not physically. The rational part realized they were approaching the break-room and that the door was open.

Naoto peeked inside as they passed, hoping to catch someone's eye. A small crowd of uniformed officers were engrossed in the baseball game being shown on TV. None of them looked up. She let Adachi push her forward, noting bitterly that when she _didn't_ want people around, when she was pacing and thinking over the case, officers would throng every corridor.

"None of them paid attention, huh?" Adachi said. "You should be used to _that_."

Of course she was. And four months ago, she realized, she might've tried to fight him off, even knowing the likely consequences. The same logic that had driven her to engineer her own kidnapping solely because no-one had been willing to listen. But things had changed, hadn't they? She had friends who cared about her, she had a reason to-

"Hurry it up. We need to talk, don't we?" Adachi yanked her to a halt outside the interrogation room. He peered through the small window in the door, then cursed aloud. "Ah, shit. Why now?"

Either one of the detectives was conducting an interview - unlikely, given the meeting - or the officers were using the television again. Naoto had long suspected the only reason the interrogation room had a television was to avoid disagreements over the one in the break-room.

"Well, never mind." He shoved her forward again. "Plan B. Keep walking, Defective Priss."

"You've forgotten the security cameras," she said, knowing that he hadn't; that the Inaba PD's idea of internal security was a joke. "They've captured everything."

"Oh, good point!" Same clueless voice as always, though it quickly shifted into a sneer. "Shame nobody's watching the streams, right?"

"They will eventually." Presumably after her body was found. Or possibly Souji's.

Adachi sounded almost indifferent. "Probably. Once it's too late."

After a few more turns, it became obvious they were heading to the reception area. There would be someone working at the desk, someone who would notice Naoto's predicament and provide assistance. Naoto told herself this, desperately wanting to believe it was true and knowing that people rarely noticed that which was not obvious.

As they walked into the reception area, Adachi pressed closer against her, just before the officer working at the front desk glanced up. Takahira, one of the few uniformed officers who'd been somewhat nice to her; an action which, Naoto realized, had doubtless been unrewarding. "Leaving for the night, Shirogane-san?" he asked.

"Yes. Adachi-san is -" - and Adachi drove the gun's barrel into the small of Naoto's back - "- kind enough to transport me back to my apartment."

Takahira raised his eyebrows, his face breaking into a boyish grin. "Pretty nice of you, Detective Adachi-san."

"Eh, it's nothing. Just helping out." Adachi ruffled Naoto's hair with his free hand. "C'mon, let's get going. It's not safe to be out too late, right?"

From where Takahira was sitting, he wouldn't be able to see the cuffs, but he'd be certain to notice as they left the station. Naoto felt a flash of relief - until the phone rang at the desk and he turned away to answer. The moment he did, Adachi drove Naoto forward at twice the pace, almost making her stumble as he shoved open the glass doors and pushed her through.

Presumably he was taking her to his car. From there, to his apartment. It occurred to Naoto, then, _why_ Adachi might've killed Yamano and Konishi, and what that meant for her - and, as they began to descend the steps to the sidewalk, Adachi slipping his phone back into his pocket, she finally lashed out.

The kick she aimed at Adachi's shins lacked power, but it was enough. Startled, he tripped down the steps, yelping with pain as he hit hard concrete.

Naoto, off-balance from the kick, stumbled forward too - slipping on the iced-over snow clinging to the second step. Momentum kicked in, and she half ran, half threw herself down the steps - then kept going.

She'd barely hit the sidewalk when she heard Adachi behind her. "You stupid _bitch__!_"

Unsurprisingly, the street was deserted. The snow had started again and the air was frigid. There had been no opportunity to grab her coat, either - but her phone was in her back pocket. If she could somehow reach it, contact the others, then-

The thought was lost. Adachi smashed into her from behind, grabbing her shoulders by both hands and throwing her to the ground. She twisted as she landed, trying to avoid a face-full of snow and gravel - and turned her head in time to catch Adachi's fist. A resounding crack filled her ears, her jaw instantly throbbing and her lip tearing open on her teeth.

Naoto suppressed the cry of pain and, on instinct, slammed her heel of her boot directly into Adachi's face. He almost _squealed_, staggering back with what she hoped was a broken nose - and she launched another kick, a sweep into the side of his head.

He crashed to the ground. Naoto pulled herself up. She'd lost her cap in the fall but there was no time to retrieve it. Instead she ran, this time toward the parking lot - the only place with any cover - and darted behind one of the police vans. Despite the cuffs, she managed to tug her phone from her back pocket, drop it to the ground, then grab it with one of her hands.

When she'd first put the team members on speed dial, she'd felt a little ridiculous. Phone calls were not something she enjoyed, and she doubted others would enjoy conducting them with her. Now, she was grateful for whatever spark had made her decided to program Souji's number as the first button.

His phone rang, faintly, then rang again, and again.

Suddenly, Naoto remembered Adachi's comment. _Not without Seta._

Souji might be unable to help. Barely pausing to think, she hit the second button. Again the phone rang, too many times. Finally it connected, to the faint sound of Kanji's voice.

_"Yo, this is Kanji Tatsumi. I dunno why you're callin', but leave a message and I'll get back t'ya."_

His answerphone. A brief, sickening realization hit - that Kanji might be in the same situation as Souji - then all but vanished as Adachi ran past the police van, cursing out load. He swung round a few meters ahead, barely visible in the thick fog, presumably searching for her.

Naoto took a chance, and ran.

A bullet flashed past on her right almost before she heard it fire, and her left arm burst with pain just below the shoulder. _Ignore it. _A graze. She'd experienced it before, one of the few times she'd helped apprehend a suspect, and she knew enough to keep running. Though the fog had muffled the sound, the firing of a bullet might still be loud enough to be heard inside the station. Adachi had to be desperate. That desperation could either work to Naoto's advantage, or get her killed.

She was running out of parking lot. Scaling the surrounding walls would be difficult with cuffed hands. As she passed another van, she pivoted, dropped to the ground - gritting her teeth against the shrieking pain in her arm - and rolled underneath the vehicle. Adachi was snarling something again, far too near, but her heartbeat was pounding in her ears and she couldn't make out the words.

If she'd been fast enough, he wouldn't have seen her in the fog - but she'd been bleeding when she rolled. In the dim light from the streetlamps, it might not be as obvious, and after two savage blows to the head, he might not even think to look. But if he did...

Footsteps crunched nearby on frozen snow. Adachi had stopped talking now. Instead there was the sound of his ragged breathing, mixed with the occasional muttered curse. Naoto flattened herself against the ground, hardly daring to breathe. Then, after what felt like hours, the footsteps receded - followed by the faint sound of a car door slamming, and an engine turning over. Headlights swept across the lot, almost under the van - and moments later, the sound of the engine vanished.

Naoto stayed motionless for what felt like hours more, flat on her stomach, watching the snow under her left biceps turn dark.

Adachi had presumably left - but perhaps he just wanted her to think that, he'd been so determined to harm her - but she couldn't see him through the narrow gap between the van and the ground - but the fog would hide anyone more than a few meters away. Naoto kept twisting these theories in her head, adding and adding. Finally, in a lucid instant, she realized her overthinking was putting her in danger of hypothermia.

She took a deep breath to steel herself and rolled out from under the van. Pain seared through her left arm, but she was able to push herself to her feet.

Help. She needed to get help, warn the others. But when she stumbled back to the first van, where she'd called Kanji, Naoto found her cellphone smashed into numerous pieces. Thinking to re-enter the station instead, she made her way through the fog to the entrance of the parking lot - and almost staggered directly into Souji and Kanji, both standing on the sidewalk with equally wide-eyed expressions.

Kanji was the first to react. "Naoto! Shit, I thought you were…" He trailed off with a sharp shake of his head. He was, Naoto noted, holding her cap in his hands.

…Why were they even here? She hadn't been able to leave a useful message on his phone and they lacked the ability to track her own. "How did you-"

"We called the station," Souji said. His voice was calm, but the tremble at the edge of it sparked a sudden flare of guilt. "They said you'd just left with Adachi. We thought maybe if we got here quickly enough-"

"Dammit, Naoto!" Kanji broke in, with an aggressive swipe at thin air. "We've been callin' you the whole frickin' way here! Why the hell didn't you pick up?"

_Because I was hiding under a van and my phone is in seventeen separate pieces_, Naoto considered saying. Fortunately, Souji spoke first.

"Kanji," he said, warningly, then frowned at Naoto's shoulder. "What happened to your arm?"

Of course. She'd let herself be distracted and they still had to catch him and it was so damn cold and-

Naoto took a deep breath. "Adachi. It was Adachi. He's the killer."

"I know." Souji stepped forward to look at her arm more closely. Kanji still hadn't moved. "Where is he now?"

"He took his car. I don't know where he went."

For a brief moment, Souji's expression turned tense - then broke into a gentle smile that was probably intended to be encouraging. It didn't fully work, but Naoto appreciated the effort. He took the cap from Kanji's hands and placed it on her head. "Well, I hope you gave as good as you got."

"B-Better, I hope." She felt a little deflated, and wanted to ask exactly how and why Souji already knew about Adachi, but now wasn't the time. Far more important they catch him first. Questions could come later. "Could you- -he cuffed my hands. The keys are universal, there should be one in Dojima-san's office. Top drawer of his desk." She'd noticed it thrown in there once, along with coins, paper scraps, and too many empty cigarette packets.

Souji nodded. "Wait here. I'll send Uehara-san over too." With that, he jogged down the sidewalk toward the station entrance, quickly vanishing into the fog.

Naoto turned to Kanji. "Uehara-san?"

"Nurse lady. Lives near Senpai. She drove us here." He was staring; first at Naoto's injured arm, then at her bloody lip. "Adachi did that to you?"

"N-No. I mean - yes. But it's nothing."

Kanji looked unconvinced. Why had she tried to lie? An irrational action, but she was tired and cold and - and Kanji was shrugging off his coat, if he dared to try to-

He draped it over her shoulders, careful to avoid her arm, then tried to fasten the top button - but his hands were shaking, and his fingers brushed against her neck. Naoto immediately flinched. The look she caught in Kanji's eyes made her wish she hadn't.

"Y-You can take it off when Senpai brings the key," he said, looking away. "Just - figured you'd be cold."

"I -" About to stumble into another lie, she stopped, let out a breath, and tried again. "I was. Thank you."

She'd half-expected Kanji to jump on that - saying what, she had no idea - but instead he kept looking away, glowering at what appeared to be a random spot on the sidewalk.

"My shirt. The bullet tore it. Perhaps you - could show me how to fix it." It was hardly worth the effort; the fabric was damp with snow and blood, and the shirt hadn't been one of Naoto's favourites. But she felt the odd, desperate need to say something - or rather, anything that might change Kanji's expression.

He looked at her, cheeks red from the cold, then at her shirt sleeve. "...Ain't worth it, Naoto. The blood won't come outta that fabric."

She swallowed. "Ah."

Kanji kept staring at the sleeve. "That lying, murdering bastard," he muttered. "Who the hell beats up on-"

Naoto shot him a sharp glare. Her tone was sharper still. "On whom?"

"On any of us. On you." Kanji ran a hand through his hair, snowflakes catching on his gloved fingers. "I-I don't _care_ if y'hurt him back, he still-"

"There you are!"

Naoto snapped her head toward the voice. A slim, dark-haired woman was heading toward them, clad in a pale pink puffy coat and carrying a first-aid kit at her side. "Souji told me you were by the parking lot, but it's so hard to see anything in this fog..."

Kanji dipped his head. "Thanks, Uehara-san."

His earlier words still rang in Naoto's ears, loaded with implications, and she barely registered Uehara lifting the coat from her injured side. "Your left arm, isn't it? Let me take a look." She studied the wound, then hummed thoughtfully. "I can bandage it to stem the bleeding, but it's possible you'll need stitches. You'll have to get checked out at the hospital."

"Good thing that's where we're going." Souji appeared through the fog, brandishing a small silver key. He slipped behind Naoto and unlocked the cuffs, finally relieving her aching muscles. "I need to make sure Uncle and Nanako-chan are safe. Kanji, you call Yosuke and Chie. I'll contact Yukiko, and Teddie and Rise." He leaned down to Naoto. "And Naoto, let Uehara-san patch you up."

Adachi was already on the road. They were wasting time. Naoto opened her mouth to object, but the two very different looks Souji and Kanji gave her were identical in their effect. She nodded, resigned, and followed Uehara to her car.

* * *

They pulled into the hospital parking lot twenty minutes later. Thanks to Uehara's driving - at breakneck speed, and on icy roads - Naoto felt considerably worse than when they'd left the police station. Or perhaps the adrenaline rush had just worn off. For whatever reason, her jaw and arm both ached far more than before and she was distinctly light-headed. She leaned back against the side of Uehara's car, eyes screwed shut.

"We should head inside," Souji was saying. "You need to get your arm looked at, Naoto, and I need to check on my family. I know we told the others we'd wait, but…"

Naoto opened her eyes, blinking against the still-falling snow. "Based on my knowledge and assumptions concerning their respective locations, they are unlikely to arrive for some time."

"…Exactly. And the longer we wait..." Souji stopped. "We're _not_ waiting. He might not even be here. And if he is - I'll handle it alone if I need to."

"You won't," Kanji said, huddled down into his sweater. Naoto was still wearing his over-sized coat. "I ain't letting that son-of-a-bitch hurt anyone else."

Souji gave a grim nod, then turned toward her. "Naoto, you should go to the emergency room and-"

"No," she insisted. "I have as much right to be here as either of you." Arguably more than Kanji, who hadn't been thrown in a television or shot at in a parking lot. Yet he'd barely said a word during the drive here, and his expression remained dark and thunderous.

Uehara was standing nearby, phone held to her ear. She flipped it shut and turned to Souji. "I just called the third floor," she said. "Your uncle's fine, a nurse is with him. But I can't get through to anyone on the fifth."

"Whassat mean?" growled Kanji.

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "Probably that they're busy. We don't sit around all night waiting to answer phones."

"Then I'd better go up there myself." Souji was already walking toward the hospital entrance, and the others hurried after him.

"Seta-kun - what's going on here?" Uehara asked. "Adachi attacked your friend. Shouldn't the police be handling this?"

"They haven't bothered all year. Doubt they'll start now."

The four of them walked through the sliding doors of the entrance, crossed the lobby, and headed toward the row of elevators down the corridor from reception. Naoto was grateful for the sudden warmth, more for Kanji's sake than her own.

…Illogical. Not only had he been foolish enough to loan a coat to someone who would bleed on it, he'd then refused to take it back. She thought then of the picnic at the riverside, when Teddie had knocked her into the water and Kanji had shared his coat. He'd been much more accommodating then. But this time was different, for many reasons - and as she glanced sideways at him, Naoto felt a sudden wave of foreboding.

Souji's gazed drifted over the numbers above each elevator as they rose and fell. "I'll go to the fifth floor. If Adachi's there, I'll -" He paused, and let out a breath. "Well, I'll see."

Kanji shook his head. "It's not 'I'."

"What?"

"I. You keep saying 'I' - but you ain't doin' this by yourself."

Yet Souji appeared intent on just that. As much as Naoto was grateful for her friends, that gratitude did not compensate for her inexperience in having them. Weeks had passed since the fight with Namatame and she'd thought that any animosity between her and Souji had dissipated, but was that truly the case? "Kanji-kun is correct, Senpai. Is a lack of trust the issue?"

Souji stared at her for a moment, brow furrowed, before his expression quickly leveled out. "I - trust you both," he managed. "But Adachi...Naoto, he threw me into the TV and tried to murder you in the street. He's _dangerous_."

"So?" Kanji smacked his fist into his palm. "That bastard's the _real_ reason Nanako-chan got hurt! We can take him, Senpai, we've been beatin' down Shadows all year!"

Uehara's eyes narrowed. "Shadows?"

A bell dinged, and the nearest elevator opened. Souji held the doors, but didn't step inside. "We're not fighting that sort of monster, Kanji, not anymore. And this - if it's between me and him, that's fine. I don't want anyone else to get involved."

"Can't always get what you want, Senpai," Kanji muttered, and barged past him into the elevator.

They rode the five floors up in silence. It continued when they exited on the fifth floor, and as they walked briskly through the corridors - but was finally broken when they rounded the corner to Nanako's room, and saw Adachi walk out and close the door behind him.

He'd been in there. Had he just-

"_Adachi!_" Souji roared, and Naoto cringed inwardly, knowing he'd cost them the element of surprise.

Adachi glanced up, wide-eyed, a massive purple bruise already blossoming over his nose and cheeks. Then, he registered the four of them standing there - and took two unsteady steps back.

"Shit - he's gonna -" Kanji started - just as Adachi turned on his heels. "C'mere, you bastard!"

Souji was already halfway through the door to Nanako's room, Uehara close behind. Kanji was barreling after Adachi. Naoto, still light-headed, threw herself into a run after him.

Small and quick as she was, she couldn't catch up. Her earlier injuries and Kanji's raw fury combined kept her a meter behind him at all times. Likewise, he couldn't reach Adachi. They sped around another corner, Adachi leading them into a long, straight corridor - but he ran only a few meters before making a sharp turn into one of the patient rooms. Kanji did likewise, bellowing in rage, and Naoto followed - just in time to see Adachi dive headfirst inside a large television.

Kanji was right behind him.

Naoto's eyes widened. "Kanji-kun!"

There was no time to say anything else. The final syllable was still on her lips as he lunged forward, as if trying to grab Adachi from behind, and plunged straight through the screen.

The room was silent. And Kanji had just-

Naoto ran to the television. She pressed a hand against the screen and let it slip through. Cold air brushed her fingers, but nothing else.

One of the old worlds, a maelstrom of Shadows, a plunge into sheer nothingness - she had no idea where this television led. Where Kanji and Adachi had gone.

Where she might need to follow them.

_No._ The idea alone was ridiculous, she should wait for Souji, she should-

"Naoto!"

Naoto gripped the lower edge of the television set and - with Souji's sharp cry ringing in her ears - jumped through the screen.


	36. Chapter 27

_A/N: Kudos again to Kharta for his awesome artwork of Naoto's escape from Adachi last chapter. See my profile for the link. If any other readers create P4 fanart based on my writing, let me know! I would love to see it, and add links if permitted (there are a couple of sketches I haven't linked to, since I'm uncertain whether the arists would be okay with it)_

_Story so far: After failing to do away with both Souji and Naoto, Adachi jumped into the television...immediately followed by Kanji...closely followed by Naoto._

_In this part: Naoto holds her own, __Kanji holds a grudge,_ and the kouhai hold a sleepover.

* * *

He hadn't meant to jump.

As he plunged through the vortex, a small part of Kanji's mind was horrified that he'd done it, that he'd been so frigging _dumb_ - but the rest was blind with twisting, sickening rage. Adachi had murdered two people, Adachi was the reason Nanako-chan had nearly died, Adachi had tried to kill Naoto and Senpai. Adachi had to be stopped, no matter what it took to do it.

He had time for one dizzy glimpse of fog on the other side before he hit the ground hard, landing sideways, a sharp pain spearing through his chest. Head tilted, he could see he was lying on a chequerboard grid of red and black tiles. Everything else was murky grey – save for Adachi, sprinting ahead of him.

Kanji hauled himself to his feet, the stab of pain in his ribs now barely registering. "C'mere, asshole!"

Adachi glanced over his shoulder, looking genuinely nervous, but kept running. Angry as Kanji was, catching up was impossible. As the red and black tiles turned into barren brown dirt, Adachi was somehow putting more and more distance between them – until he finally stopped, a dim figure in the fog ahead, then turned around and dropped to his knees.

Bastard must've run out of steam. Would make it even easier to take him down. He was both shorter and slighter than Kanji and hadn't spent half a year kicking Shadow ass. Better go easy on him, or he might wind up—

Adachi lifted his head – pale skin, dark eyes, dried blood streaking from his nose – and for the briefest moment, Kanji saw his mouth twist into a smirk. It vanished the next instant as he slammed his palms against his head. His back arched and he was shouting something, but the words were swallowed in a sudden rush of air as a Persona burst into being above him. Kanji caught only a glimpse of it before a blast of wind slammed into him and tossed him through the air like a ball of scrunched-up paper. He slammed into the ground again, a tangle of limbs, and fell into a rough tumble over the dirt. And somehow, above it all, he kept thinking how _familiar _Adachi's Persona had looked – until his head smacked into something he couldn't see, too hard and too fast, and his thoughts were lost.

* * *

Kanji came round to three things: a catalogue of aches and pains, the sound of a Turret blasting shells too close by, and Sukuna-Hikona zooming over his head.

He tried to bolt upright, figure out what the hell was going on, but the pain in his ribs made it too difficult to even sit up. There was a sudden crunch of metal and a hiss of air to his right, presumably Sukuna-Hikona taking something out. Maybe the Turret. Nice of the little guy to help, even if he was kind of usele—

Wait. Sukuna-Hikona couldn't be here alone. Which meant...oh, _shit_.

Kanji sat up, teeth clenched against the pain. In front of him, Naoto fired even more holes in a drooping Gene Freak, followed by a Mudoon that swallowed the Shadow whole.

Why was she here? No way was Naoto as dumb and impulsive as him. Had Souji followed too? Kanji glanced around but saw nothing else, not even a single rogue Shadow. Naoto must've gotten them all – and now she was heading toward him, Sukuna-Hikona obediently hovering behind. The Persona looked – odd. He kept flickering, like a bad picture on a television set. If Naoto had noticed it, she didn't seem concerned. She was too busy elevating blankness to an art form, a fact Kanji might have dwelled on a little longer if he hadn't been trying to figure out whether he wanted her to be here. Part of him wanted to yell at her just for following. Another was dreading her yelling at him. Another still was just grateful she'd saved his damn life, and for once, it was this part that took the reins. "Yo, N-Naoto."

She knelt down beside him. "Are you injured?"

"M'fine. Bit of a headache." Understatement - he swore he could feel every scratch and bruise on his face, and pain was searing through his chest – but he'd live. Besides, if he told Naoto everything, she'd just worry. Or he liked to think she would.

Naoto hummed in thought. Behind her, Sukuna-Hikona faded into the air. "Tilt back your head," she told Kanji, edging toward him on her knees.

"Why?"

"You were unconscious when I arrived, so you may have a concussion. I need to see your eyes."

Why was she fussing? He didn't feel _that_ bad. "But my eyes don't hurt. Just my head."

"A severe concussion may cause unusual eye movements or unequal pupils," Naoto said, in a monotone that made him wonder whether she'd actually done this in practice, or just read about it in some book. And then her face was above him, her eyes carefully studying his, and it might've been massively awkward if he wasn't now terrified of being permanently brain-damaged. Holy crap, he couldn't have been out more than a few minutes, could he?

Naoto pulled back and stood up. "Any nausea or confusion?" she asked, still watching him.

"Nah. Like I said, just a headache."

She looked down at him a moment longer – expression still far too blank – then held out her hand, in a gesture guaranteed to end up with Kanji pulling her on top of him and having to deal with blood loss on top of everything else. But he didn't want to hurt her feelings, unlikely as that was with Naoto, and so he grabbed her hand and pushed himself up, ribs throbbing with the motion. A couple of them had to be cracked, if not broken.

Once on his feet, he looked down at her. She was still wearing his coat, draped over her shoulders with the top button fastened. "Thanks," he mumbled. "Uh – you doin' okay? You were hurt."

"I am fine," she said, flatly – then started to turn away – then turned back to him and snapped, "Kanji-kun, what the hell were you _thinking_?"

Shit. He'd known this was coming sooner or later. Kanji debated telling her he'd already mentally kicked his own ass and saved her and Souji the bother, but instead he ducked his head and stared at the ground. "I know, alright? Just – lost my temper." Take-Mikazuchi should've cut in at that point, rumbled at him and generally conveyed what a complete idiot he was, yet the Persona stayed silent.

Naoto didn't. "And that somehow justifies this?" She started forward, hands clenched in vicious fists at her sides. "Throwing yourself into a television out of frustration? Are you completely _stupid_?"

She was furious, maybe even worried and scared, Kanji _knew_ that, but if she wanted her words to sting – and he wasn't convinced she did – she couldn't have picked better. Hurt transformed itself into anger of his own, poured on top of the simmering rage that'd landed him in here to begin with. "Yeah, well, maybe I am! But if you're so damn smart, why'd you fricking jump in _after_ me?"

Something flickered over Naoto's expression, too quickly for him to catch, but it seemed to take all her anger with it. Her fists had unfurled, her arms stiff and motionless. "I – knew you would be unable to fight Adachi alone," she said, looking away. "And I was the nearest to the television when you leapt in."

Even Kanji could see the flaws in that reasoning. He would have been happy to point them out, until he started wondering about her _real_ reasons for following him – and what, if anything, the act itself had truly meant.

...No way. Wishful thinking. After a bullet wound, crawling through snow, and a generally shitty evening, Naoto could be forgiven a few bad decisions. His hand moved to the back of his neck. "Well, uh, thanks. For helpin'."

"You...you don't need to thank me. The situation is simply ridiculous." She shook her head. "And yet _I _was the reckless one for provoking the kidnapper."

"S'different, you planned that. This was –" Kanji stopped and grit his teeth. "I _couldn't_, alright?"

"Couldn't what?"

"Let that bastard run away." He swallowed in an effort to force down the rush of anger coursing up through his chest and throat. "You know Adachi used to hang out at the Dojimas' house? Senpai told me. Son-of-a-bitch ate at the same damn table as Nanako-chan."

Naoto grimaced. "He babysat her too. At Dojima-san's request."

That didn't surprise Kanji, not after what he'd seen tonight. It was just more fuel for the pyre. Adachi hadn't just stabbed a friend in the back, he'd hurt a kid, a kid he was supposed to protect. He'd been faking it the whole way through. "Y'see? He could've stepped in, stopped it all, hell, even helped us save her, but he _didn't_, because the only thing he gets off on is other people being hurt!" Then, before Kanji could stop himself, "And then you got in a fight with him!"

Naoto shot him a glare sharper than shattered glass. "That _wasn't_ my fault."

"...Yeah. Sorry. I know." He'd gotten carried away. Didn't matter how utterly shit-scared he'd been when he'd heard that gunshot. He let out a long breath and tried not to wince at the piercing pain in his ribs. "But you really know how t'get yourself neck-deep in trouble, y'know?"

He'd expected a tart response, some Naoto-level equivalent to 'none of your business', but instead she looked away. "You are injured. Now isn't the time for discussion," she said, rapid and businesslike. "Do you have your glasses?"

She was hurt too; that was one of several reasons he'd gotten so furious. Was this just her way of letting him off the hook? Kanji didn't know what to think, and his burgeoning headache wasn't helping. "Think so...lemmee check." Too many rough falls in the past had meant a lot of impromptu repair jobs from Ted. Kanji recently had the sense to make a hard case for them – painting purple cats on it too, and to hell with Hanamura's snide comments – and when he pulled it from his back pocket and flipped it open, the glasses were intact. "Yeah, they're good. You got yours?"

She shook her head. "Unfortunately, they were in my coat."

Almost on reflex, Kanji held out his pair. "Take mine."

"That would accomplish nothing. In either case, one of us would be blind."

More like one of them would soon be out cold. It was just liked Ted had always said: humans didn't belong here. "Then we'll share," Kanji said. "When you start feeling bad, I'll give 'em to you, and vice versa."

"Put your glasses on, Kanji-kun." From her tone, he was convinced he'd be carrying her out of here unconscious - until she added, "You are correct. The optimal solution is to share them in order to stave off this world's ill effects."

He had a feeling she wouldn't speak up when she needed to swap – but based on what Kanji remembered, it'd be pretty obvious. "Alright. So...what do we do now?" The world seemed to be shifting around them, the fog gradually rolling back. To his right, the dirt ground now led onto cracked concrete, something that looked like a road. Was that where Adachi had gone?

"Souji-senpai will not leave us here," Naoto said, more adamant than Kanji had ever heard. "He may well enter through the same television - in which case, we should not venture far." She gestured toward him. "And, as I said, you are clearly injured."

If Kanji was being honest with himself, he knew she was right – breathing hurt, never mind walking - but waiting out in the open would be even more harmful. "Look, if we stay put, more Shadows might come after us. Maybe we can find somewhere to hole up." Best way to avoid a fight they might not win. Shit, he didn't even have his shield; right now, he would've settled for a folding chair, not that he'd be able to swing it. But at least Naoto had her gun - and Take-Mikazuchi and Sukuna-Hikona were both still there, no matter what else might be up with them.

"We may not find a suitable location," Naoto said. "This place...it's still forming. Look around."

The fog had rolled back even further. Next to the road, Kanji could see piles of debris: concrete, wood, metal girders. There were vague outlines in the distance that looked like ruined buildings – explaining where all the junk came from. But what was this place supposed to be?

"Possibly this is what happened when each victim first entered," Naoto said. "The world reshaping itself to fit the individual."

Which was true, but Kanji had figured it happened instantly. The bathhouse had been fully formed, from the wooden walls to the benches to the steam rising from the water. "I don't remember anythin' like that."

"You were most likely unconscious from the chloroform. I fell unconscious after being thrown in, and didn't wake up until I was inside my Shadow's base."

Kanji's attention was diverted. Something had caught his eye, a splash of red in the nearest heap of rubble. He peered closer, and a sick chill spiraled through his stomach.

"Whatever this place is, it must be derived from Adachi's consciousness," Naoto was saying, somewhere in the background, "and we simply arrived too soon for—"

"Naoto."

She frowned at the interruption. "What?"

Mouth dry, he pointed to the wreckage of the Moel gas station sign, half-buried under broken slabs of concrete. "We're in the shopping district."

As Naoto followed his hand, her eyes widened. "But - this world already has a replica of that place. Darker and emptier than the real thing, but nothing like this."

"Exactly. This one's _worse_. Look at it."

'It' consisted of buildings that looked ready to collapse, and the piles of debris left by those that had. From the ruined garage, he could see the hollow shell of the bookstore, half-demolished, and most of the other shops in this end of the district were already rubble. The fog had lifted a little more, revealing more buildings in the distance, jagged outlines against the red and black sky. It would've been disturbing enough if he hadn't recognized it, but he sheer familiarity was a punch in the gut.

…What if the textiles shop was-

"We could shelter in one of the buildings." Naoto looked at him. "It doesn't have to be—"

"Right," Kanji cut in. "We – we'll stay down the south end."

They walked slowly along the road, toward the ruined garage, Naoto keeping her gun armed the whole time and carefully glancing around them for signs of movement. The garage itself – or rather, the big pile of debris it'd turned into - wouldn't offer any cover. Nor would what was left of the bookshop.

Daidara's, however, might work. The front door was almost blocked by a fallen telegraph pole, and part of the roof was gone completely – but at least all four walls were still standing and it probably wouldn't collapse on them soon as they walked in. Kanji figured that, right now, 'probably' was the best they could hope for. He moved to enter, but Naoto darted in front of him and crept into the shop.

Inside, it looked as wrong as the rest of the district. It was far emptier than the real thing and seemed coated not just in dust, but in filth; the same feeling Kanji had every time he walked through the fog still blanketing the town. The weaponry on the walls dripped black slime, and the armour mannequins hung limp from the ceiling. On the counter, bright amid the grime, lay a single white chrysanthemum.

The back of the shop would've offered the most cover, but it was buried under splintered beams of wood from the collapsed roof. Naoto gestured for Kanji to sit down in the center of the shop floor instead. Since anywhere else put him near either black goo or creepy shop dummies, he obliged. He'd expected Naoto to sit down too, but instead she kept pacing, one wall to the other, gun still in hand.

"How's your arm?" he asked.

"Fine," she told him, evenly. "The wound was shallow and Uehara-san was able to dress it sufficiently."

His first thought was that she had to be bluffing, because who the hell was that calm about getting shot at? Then he remembered exactly what they spent their after-school hours doing. Jumping inside televisions and fighting monsters made everything else seem tame. It wasn't healthy. Kanji wondered what it would be like once all this was over, what scars the team would walk away with – assuming they walked away at all.

He shifted against the grubby wooden floor – crap, his trousers were gonna get filthy – then turned to Naoto again, and held out the glasses. "You should take these. S'your turn." And then, because she still looked like she'd refuse, he added, "They'll help you keep watch."

After a second's hesitation, she reached down and plucked them from his hand. "Very well. The Shadows here will be difficult to neutralize."

"You took out two of 'em earlier."

"Before this area of the world had chance to form. I theorize that the Shadows are weaker in that time, with no external force to focus them."

_External force. _Adachi. Figured any world he'd create would be supremely screwed up. Kanji had seen only pieces of it so far, and it was still worse than all the others put together.

He leaned back on his palms, still trying to find a position that didn't make his ribs feel like they were poking through his skin. The room lapsed into a tense silence; the type he should've wanted to continue, because it meant they weren't being attacked, but which itched along his spine all the same. He was on the verge of breaking it, trying to start a conversation with Naoto about this world, Adachi, whatever he could think of, when a voice came from outside the shop.

"Well, at least you two didn't wander far."

Before he could register who he'd heard, Kanji was up on one knee, his fists raised. Naoto went one step further, aiming her gun and pivoting toward the door in one smooth motion.

Souji started back in the doorway, hands raised. "Uh, not quite the reception I was expecting."

Kanji's and Naoto's responses were identical. "Senpai!"

He walked further inside the shop. Just like Kanji, he was unarmed and unprotected. "Are you both okay?"

In place of an answer, Kanji launched himself into what promised to be a messy and stumbling explanation. "Uh, Senpai, I—"

But before he could even get started, Souji held up a palm. "Kanji, I get it. You were pissed off, and I should've seen it coming." He turned to Naoto, with a frown that somehow mixed relief with exasperation. "But Naoto, what the hell made _you_ jump in?"

For a single moment, Naoto looked very uncomfortable. It disappeared almost instantly, buried under careful detachment. "Your own rule, Senpai. Nobody enters the television alone."

"Accurate, but missing the point." He glanced between them both, eyebrows still angled in frustration. Finally, he slowly shook his head. "Look, we'll pick this up later. Right now I'm more interested in finding Adachi."

"Shouldn't we search for a means of escape?" Naoto asked.

"That too. But he –" Souji stopped, took a breath, tried again. "He didn't hurt Nanako-chan just now, but he _tried_. If the nurse hadn't walked in when she did, he - I need to stop him. I need to _see_ him."

Kanji suspected that wasn't all Senpai wanted to do, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't feel the same way. Maybe Naoto did too, because she didn't veto the idea outright. "That plan entails a high level of risk," she said, and left it at that.

Souji quirked an eyebrow at her. "So did jumping in here."

She tipped up her chin. "And you jumped in after us, Senpai, with no clear plan on how to escape."

"…I guess I deserved that." He shrugged. "I was worried about you."

Kanji tried hard to ignore the sudden flush over Naoto's cheeks and focused on two facts: that Souji still hadn't asked for any explanation – something Kanji was endlessly thankful for – and that he deserved some gratitude. "Thanks for bailing us out, Senpai."

Souji waved him off. "Just doing what you did for me. Here, I'll heal you up," he said, holding up his palm and willing his card into his hand. When he crushed it, Kanji expected to see one of Senpai's newer Personas – the winged sword-wielding guy, maybe, or that chick with the red cape – but instead, Izanagi flashed into the air, naginata held ready.

Souji blinked up at him. "What? I didn't call—" He cut himself off and peered closer. Izanagi was flickering, just like Sukuna-Hikona; a signal half-swallowed by static. "What's wrong with him?"

"Sukuna-Hikona was the same," Naoto said, quietly.

"Is it Adachi? Because he's in control of this place?" Souji blurted – then stopped and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he tilted his head back and stared upward, taking in the shop's half-collapsed roof and the red and black sky beyond.

"Possibly. Alternatively, the fog may be the cause. Since it set in, my connection to Sukuna-Hikona has been – disrupted."

"Understatement, I know – but this is definitely bad." Souji kept his gaze on the sky, brow knitted with what looked like concentration. After several long moments of silence, just at the point when Kanji was considering speaking up, he lowered his head. "I can't hear any of the others, and Izanagi has no healing magic. I'm sorry."

Kanji rolled his shoulders. "S'fine. Nothin' I can't walk off."

Naoto glanced at him, catching his eye, and folded her arms. "Likewise."

Souji's expression suggested he didn't believe either of them, but he still nodded. "Fair enough. We should get moving. I asked Uehara-san left to fetch Rise and Teddie from the house as soon as you both jumped in. I'd intended to wait until they arrived, but…"

"But you lost your rag too?" Kanji filled in. Sometimes, it was nice to know Senpai was only human.

"Like I said, I was worried. The last I heard, all three of them were on route to the hospital. I told Rise and Teddie to follow us in here, so we need to head back to where we first landed." He turned to Naoto. "As a heads-up, Naoto, Rise's planning on yelling at you for a week."

"I jumped in first," Kanji pointed out.

"And that surprised Rise about as much as it did me." Souji sighed, and shook his head. "You're hot-headed, Kanji. I shouldn't have let you follow Adachi alone."

And there wasn't any real justification for Kanji doing so. There was, however, the intense need to prove Souji wrong. "I'm not a kid, Senpai. An' I didn't mean t'lose my temper, I just—"

The retort was lost as the shop's northern wall erupted into flame.

Black smoke billowed inside the room, embers falling from the wall and sizzling on the floor. Kanji instinctively ducked, arms over his head. Dizzy, with Souji's voice ringing in his ears, he glanced up at the counter. Two chrysanthemums now lay on the surface. Rational thought took over an instant later – shit, what was he _doing_, he needed to get out - but the smoke had set him into a fit of coughs, each one driving a stab of pain through his ribs. In the seconds it took to rise to his knees, the flames had engulfed the entire wall, rushing up over what was left of the roof. He tried to stand, stumbled, tried again – and Souji was suddenly at his side, hauling him to his feet. Together, they stumbled across the shop and out the door into the street, just in time to catch Sukuna-Hikona rocket into the air and toss a Hamaon rune.

Kanji didn't even see what Shadow was hit, only the column of golden light that swallowed it up then quickly faded into a few glowing specks. Whatever it was, it must've torched the shop. Good thing there only seemed to be one, he thought, until he saw the figure who'd been standing a few meters behind it.

"Wow, the Defective Priss is good for something after all!"

Beside him, Souji cursed under his breath.

Adachi sauntered toward them, slowly clapping his hands. "I gotta congratulate all three of you, really. I never thought you'd actually follow me. That takes a _special_ sort of dumb."

Naoto kept her gun trained on him at every step. "Return with us, Adachi, and face your crimes!"

"Nah. I prefer it here." He spread his arms wide. "This place just…responds to me."

"Don't be stupid," Souji almost spat. "The Shadows will rip you apart."

Adachi tipped his head and grinned. "Really? Check _this_ out."

He snapped his fingers and blinked out of existence – and in his place, a giant white mech flashed into empty space. It towered over them all and made Kanji think of the Junes toy department; meaning it looked far too much like the one the team had battled months ago in Naoto's laboratory. The mech was eerily still, but Souji was already stepping backward, trying to put space between them. "…I don't think we can beat this."

Kanji gulped, acutely aware of the pain in his chest. "Then you two run for it, yeah?"

Naoto was edging away from the mech too, though her gun stayed aimed at its head. "We _aren't_ leaving you," she insisted, just as the mech lurched into life. Its arms rose first, bringing its sword to bear.

Dammit, Souji and Naoto needed to leave _now_. Kanji had been stupid enough to jump in here; he'd have to pay the price. His jaw felt tight, like the muscles had turned to glass. "But we ain't got Rise! How're we gonna know how to fight it?"

Souji had stopped backing off. He drew a deep breath. "…We try everything we have. We just need to hold out until Rise and Teddie get here." He nodded toward Kanji. "You're in no shape to fight. Hang back."

"But—"

Senpai fixed him with a glare. "_Hang back_, Kanji. Listen out for Rise and guide her here."

The mech clunked toward them, joints creaking. It'd barely made it one step before Souji evoked. Izanagi materialized above, lifted his free arm, fired a bolt of white lightning toward the Shadow. The bolt's aim was true, and it zapped the mech square in the chest – then reflected straight into Izanagi. Persona and owner both stumbled back with a cry of pain, Souji twitching as energy arced over Izanagi's form.

Holy shit. The mech repelled electricity?

The one thing Kanji could've done was tell Take-Mikazuchi to start tossing out lightning bolts. Now, that'd be useless. And so was Souji's only Persona.

Ahead, Sukuna-Hikona darted high into the air with his hands glowing white. Kanji instinctively shielded his eyes – and an instant later, a Megidola crashed down.

It wouldn't be enough. If Naoto's theory was right, the Shadows here were only growing stronger as the world became fully formed. True enough, when the light faded, the mech was still moving toward them, somehow even faster now. Izanagi flashed into life again, this time lunging forward and slashing his naginata across the Shadow's torso. The ring of metal on metal echoed through the air – but the mech didn't flinch.

"Dammit," Souji snapped. "Nothing Izanagi has can even scratch it!"

Kanji glanced at him. "You got a plan, right?" Senpai _always_ had a plan.

Souji glanced at the nearest pile of debris. "One I just made up," he said, then ran over and tugged a long metal bar out from the wreckage. How the hell would that help any more than Izanagi's naginata? Kanji would've asked what the hell Senpai was thinking, but Sukuna-Hikona dive-bombed into a second Megidola, the roar of energy drowning out all sound.

This time, the mech staggered back, its movements jerkier – but shit, Naoto couldn't keep throwing those out much longer. Both she and Sukuna-Hikona had noticeably slowed down, and the Persona kept rippling with static.

_Kanji-kun, hold on! I can hear all of you, Teddie and I are on our way!_

They'd actually _made_ it here. Kanji tried as hard as he could to convey their location, build a mental picture, but Rise didn't answer.

In the gap following the last Megidola, Souji darted forward. The mech's sword crashed down, missing him by centimeters, and Kanji finally realized what he was trying to do as he speared the metal bar through the Shadow's knee joint. The mech stumbled, unable to bend one leg. It could still drag the limb behind it, but the damage had slowed it down and bought them some time. It took a second, clumsy swing with its sword, but Souji had already bolted out of reach.

Maybe they could _do_ this. Beat this thing down, prove that bastard Adachi wrong. The feeling only intensified when Kanji heard two voices cry out behind him: "Sensei!", first, immediately followed by "Senpai!"

Souji glanced over his shoulder. "Rise?"

Kanji didn't dare take his eyes off the Shadows, but he still snapped. "Get over here an' help!"

"That's _rude_, Kanji-chan." Teddie waddled up beside him, fully suited up. "You keep ending up in here, even though you know it's—"

"Not now, Ted!" Souji yelled. "Find us a way out!"

A third Megidola hit in a blast of light, but this one was off-centre, too far to the mech's left to deal much damage. Sukuna-Hikona dipped toward the ground, wings drooping, and Naoto fell to her knees as the Shadow lunged forward.

Later, Kanji would be grateful that the mech hadn't used its sword. Right now, as it swung its free arm toward Naoto, his only response was to rush forward. He made it one step before he doubled over, the pain lancing through his chest too much to stand – and the mech grabbed Naoto in its fist and hauled her into the air.

"Naoto!" someone cried – Souji? Kanji couldn't tell – and Sukuna-Hikona frantically swooped up toward the Shadow's head. Whatever the Persona planned on doing, he didn't make it. The mech hurled Naoto at him like a rag doll. Both slammed into the ground in front of Kanji, in what seemed like slow motion: Sukuna-Hikona barely cushioning his owner's fall before vanishing into nothingness, Naoto almost _bouncing_ before hitting the ground a second time.

Screw the mech. Kanji stumbled forward, teeth grit against the pain, and dropped clumsily to her side. "Shit, Naoto!"

After what felt like minutes of motionless silence, Naoto slowly rolled over onto her back and lifted herself up on her elbows. She turned her head away and spat out a mouthful of dust and blood. "I – I'm fine," she managed. "We – S-Sukuna-Hikona has to –" She clutched her side, the rest dissolving into a hiss.

Sukuna-Hikona had punched well above his weight, but the little guy had nothing left. "He's tapped out," Kanji said, eyeing Naoto carefully. "You sure you're okay?"

"Please – refrain from _babying_ me, K-Kanji-kun."

Souji was at their side a second later. He dragged Kanji up first, though his attention was on the mech. "Any time you like on that portal, Ted!"

"I can't do it, Sensei!" Teddie cried. "Adachi has too much power over this place!"

"Then try _harder_!"

"I-I can make a portal to somewhere else. I'm not bear-y sure where, but—"

"Do it!" With Kanji on his feet, Souji slipped his arm around Naoto and yanked her up too, ignoring her yelp of pain; something Kanji couldn't quite do. He opened his mouth, intending to ask yet again if she was okay and knowing he'd get an even more pissed-off answer - and behind him, the air ripped open.

Ted was standing by a red and black portal, identical to the sky. Where it led, Kanji had no idea. "Got it, Sensei! Come on, everyone, let's go!"

They made it to the portal in a hurried stumble – Rise racing forward and grabbing Naoto, and Souji swapping to drag Kanji instead. It wasn't until they'd already plunged through that Kanji remembered they had no idea where the hell they'd end up. Who was to say they wouldn't go somewhere worse?

When they reached the other side and his vision finally cleared, he was partly proven right.

At first glance, it looked like a crummy apartment: dim light, crappy furniture, dust and grime everywhere. The problem was the walls. Blood was splashed across them, dripping down over dozens of faceless posters. They showed someone in a kimono, with all their features cut out. On the far side of the room was a set of glass doors, open wide and letting grey fog filter into the eerily quiet room.

"Not this place again," Souji hissed. "This is where Mayumi Yamano met her Shadow."

Rise glanced around, eyes wide. "It feels _wrong_. Everything about it. Having to scan here makes me—" She stopped, biting her lip. "S-Sorry. Himiko's just causing trouble," she said, looking at Souji - and her eyes widened. "Senpai, what happened to your Personas?"

Still leaning against him, Kanji could feel Souji's shoulders tense. "Good question. I can only call Izanagi, and he's not quite there when I do, just like Sukuna-Hikona."

"He charged up first," Naoto said, faintly. "The Megidolas – should have been more powerful."

By this point, Rise was practically holding Naoto up. "C'mon, Naoto-kun," she said, leading her toward the couch. "Let's get you sat down."

"I-I'm fine. Just...tired."

"I would be too," Souji said. "You really carried us there, Naoto."

"Thank you, Senpai." She took off Kanji's glasses and held them out. "Pass these to Kanji-kun...please."

Souji stepped away, took the glasses, and handed them back to Kanji. Though he wasn't really cool with taking them, Naoto's timing was right. The dizziness had been building ever since he'd spilled out of Daidara's shop.

Ted sniffed the air, eyebrows angled in concentration. "I think I can make a portal out now. Adachi doesn't have much power here."

"Then get us back to the lot. We heal up and tool up."

"And then we come back an' wallop that bastard so hard," Kanji added, "he'll be picking his teeth up next Thursday."

Souji gave an ironic, lopsided sort of half-smile. "How'd you guess?"

"Now, now. Violence is _never_ the answer, Seta. You're supposed to be the diplomat!"

Naoto turned toward the window, one arm still slung over Rise's shoulders. "Adachi."

"Hey, Shirogane. Still kicking?" Hands shoved in his pockets, Adachi nodded toward Kanji. "I expected that dumbass to be stupid enough to jump in here, but you? Some _genius_ you turned out to be."

"As – I said," she managed, breathing hard, wincing each time, "you must come back - and face your crimes."

"We know you're the real killer," Souji said, smooth and far too level. "You threw Yamano and Saki Konishi into the TV."

"Plus Kubo, and you." Adachi wagged a finger. "Don't forget that. Man, I really caught you off-guard!" He shuddered with giggling laughter, high-pitched and maniacal. Several seconds passed before he'd recovered enough to speak. "But see, Yamano was an accident. I'd just called her to the inn's lobby to talk a few things over, and she got all _hysterical_. What else was I supposed to do?"

"How 'bout _not_ murdering her?" Kanji growled.

"It wasn't murder, moron. I didn't know it was dangerous inside the TV. I only wanted to punish the stupid bitch for playing around with Namatame." The sentence had started with a sneer but ended on a disgusted snarl. "Just another gold-digger hitting on a guy who'll rise to office. That high-schooler was exactly the same, whatever her name was."

"Konishi," said Souji, quietly. "She was Saki Konishi."

"Whatever. Y'know, I was the one who encouraged Namatame to get started, first time he called the station. And the game of cat-and-mouse just went on and on...him throwing people in, you guys pulling them back out. It was awesome. Gotta admit, I didn't expect you to figure me out." Adachi grinned, and the edges were too sharp. "But I like it. Games need surprises."

"Why did you do it?"

He paused, head tipped, as if genuinely considering the question – then shrugged. "Because I could. And it was fun."

Rise stared at him, aghast. "_Fun_?"

"Don't worry, Rise-chan," Naoto said. "He - will pay for his crimes."

"How would you prove it? 'He put people inside TVs'? C'mon, Shirogane. I know you think the cops in this town don't have two brain cells to rub together, but even they won't buy that." He leaned against the glass doors, almost casually, but his gaze was lasered on Naoto. "Nobody gave a damn what you said before. You know the department spent two whole months trying to get _rid_ of you? Dojima included, for all the good it did. And when you finally snapped over Kubo—"

"This _isn't_ relevant," Naoto cut in, through clenched teeth

Adachi's eyebrows arched in mock surprise. "Oh, these guys weren't there for that, were they? Some stuck-up little bitch throwing a tantrum in front of the head of department." His mouth twisted upward: half-sneer and half-grin. "You gotta love the irony, though! All that crap about how nobody wanted to know the truth, and you were lying the whole time." The sneer flashed away, replaced with a lazy shrug. "You're a freak, Shirogane."

And it'd been so matter-of-fact, so much an echo of all the times Kanji had heard the same applied to him, staying silent was impossible. "Shut it, asshole!" he snapped. "I only see one freak here and it ain't Naoto. You're a sick bastard!"

"And I couldn't care less what a big dumb ape thinks of me. You don't matter." Adachi raised an arm in a distracted sweep around the dimly lit room. "None of this does. Soon enough, the world out there will become just like this one."

Teddie's voice had turned panicked. "Wh-What do you mean?"

"The fog's leaking out. The two worlds are merging. There'll be no difference, no "sides" anymore."

"We'll stop you.' Souji said, with a calm confidence Kanji wished he shared. "Doesn't matter what lies you spout."

This only set Adachi cackling again, louder than ever yet without a shred of amusement. "Seta, I know your kind. Everyone's best friend!" There was bite in his voice now, a startling viciousness as his gaze snapped over each of the group. "Except these idiots are just puppets. You use them for what you need, then you spit them back out."

"...That's not true."

"Yeah? How much time do you spend with them once you've got what you want?" Souji opened his mouth to answer, but Adachi kept going. "None. You take, take, take until there's nothing left worth having. You're a parasite - and you're so damn _friendly_, nobody ever figures out what you are underneath." He tried to grin, same as before, but this time it looked brittle and sour. "See, you, me and Shirogane, we all have something in common. I'm not the only one who pretended to be something I'm not."

Rise pitched forward, pulling Naoto with her. "Don't you dare talk about Senpai like that!"

"It's fine, Rise." Souji's voice was low, detached. "I know who I am."

"Whatever. Like I care about some bimbo bitch's opinion. I would've been fine with letting you wander round till the Shadows got you, same as the ape and that bear," Adachi sneered, then glanced at Naoto and Souji in turn. "But you two – well. Third time's the charm, right?"

Naoto shook her head. "W-We escaped the Shadow you called."

"You won't escape all of them." A smirk crept over his face, lazy and indulgent. "And who's to say I won't take you out right now?"

"He can't." Rise's brow furrowed. "This isn't his real body…the real Adachi is somewhere else."

"Wow, you can tell that much? I'm impressed!" Adachi clapped his hands together just as slow as before; a mockery of applause that stopped dead within seconds. "But you haven't figured out the bigger picture, have you?"

"What do you mean?" Souji asked.

"By the end of the year, Inaba will disappear completely into the fog. Soon, this place will be reality." Adachi sounded calm now – resigned, even – and somehow that was more unsettling than any amount of hysterical laughter. "I'm staying in this world, so if you want me, come and get me."

"Keep your bullshit to yourself, asshole!" Kanji had launched himself forward on adrenaline alone, right fist raised, wanting nothing more than to pound Adachi's head into the nearest wall – but the punch sailed clear through, the momentum almost knocking him off his feet. He barely managed to steady himself against the glass, and his chest seared with pain.

Adachi had vanished, but his voice echoed through the room. "What an _idiot_. Didn't your little bitch friend just tell you I was somewhere else? Find me, and we'll put an end to all this." No sooner had he finished than the back wall of the room cracked open. Wood and plaster splintered and crumbled as a wide gap opened up, filled with jagged stripes of red and black.

"He's taunting us." Rise had turned pale. "I can hear him. He's daring us to follow him."

Kanji somehow managed to push himself upright, away from the doors, and he staggered back across the room. "Then let's give him what he wants and kick his ass!"

He'd known it was stupid as he'd said it – he'd been dead weight in the last fight and would be again – but he couldn't _stand_ it, the thought that this asshole was hiding in there, laughing his head off at them, while nobody in the outside world really understood exactly what he'd done. It wasn't _right_, none of it was, and why the hell hadn't Kanji managed to take down the bastard when they'd first landed in here?

A hand landed on his arm. "Wait," Naoto told him. She must've split off from Rise, but her breath still came heavy and ragged. "I suggest - we prepare ourselves first. W-We need to face him at full strength."

Looking down at her, Kanji couldn't find it in him to disagree. Souji sealed the deal. "Naoto's right," he said. "Ted, heal them both up."

Kintoki-Douji rolled into the air and a cool wave washed over Kanji. The pain in his ribs eased, but didn't go away. Same as in Heaven, the healing wasn't working how it should, and now it seemed like the rest of their magic was affected too. Beside him, Naoto lifted his coat from her arm to inspect the graze near her shoulder. Through her ripped shirt, he could see that the skin had knitted together a little, as if the wound were a week old, but the gouge left by the bullet remained.

Teddie frowned up at his flickering Persona. "…He's weak right now. Just like Sensei's and Nao-chan's."

Souji rubbed a hand over Ted's head. "Don't worry. Just get us out of here and we'll figure out what to do."

Ted obliged. He frowned at a spot on the floor, biting his lip – and a stack of TVs popped into existence, tall enough to reach the apartment's ceiling.

"I still don't get how you do that," Rise complained.

"Bears have their secrets, Rise-chan. Pile in, all of you!"

They leapt in one by one - or in Kanji's case, fell in. Climbing in had been slow and painful until Teddie helpfully shoved him headfirst through the screen. The vortex whirled around him, static in his ears, and he spilled back out into the hospital, hitting the floor with a thud. Naoto and Rise were sprawled nearby and above him, Dojima and Uehara were staring down at all three of them: mouths agape, eyes wide.

"Dojima-san—" Naoto began, as Souji burst through the screen and landed gracefully beside Kanji. Unfortunately, Teddie didn't. He somehow tumbled out upside down instead, knocking Senpai over, rolling the two of them across the floor, and coming to a halt at Dojima's and Uehara's feet.

Flat on his back and half-buried under Teddie, Souji stared up at them. "Uncle. Uehara-san."

There was a very awkward pause before Dojima answered. "You," he said, carefully, "have a hell of a lot of explaining to do."

* * *

"I can't believe we _missed_ everything!" Chie moaned, and glared at Yosuke. "Last time I wait for _you_."

Yosuke raised his palms. "Hey, _you_ try biking here in the snow!"

"Whatever," she said, now lasering in on Teddie instead. "And Ted, I should be yelling at you for making us worry!" Her glare softened. "But I'm just glad you're back."

Ted was still in his suit, though he'd at least popped the head off to rest his elbows on the edge. "Teddie _had_ to return! Yuki-chan promised to score with me and she still hasn't done it."

"You'll be waiting a while," Yukiko muttered – at which Teddie let out a pained sigh and pulled the head back on his suit. "So is Adachi like Namatame? His own Shadow?"

Kanji would've gladly let Souji explain everything that'd happened inside the TV. Unfortunately, Senpai had been trying to talk his way out of trouble with his uncle for the last fifteen minutes and didn't show any signs of escaping. "Thass right, 'cept the bastard has a Persona."

Yosuke's eyes widened. "Whoa, whoa, back up. He's got one too?"

"'Fraid so."

"Holy crap." Yosuke let out a surprised whistle, eyebrows raised, then turned to Naoto. "I take it all back, Naoto-kun."

Naoto was perched next to Rise on one of the empty hospital beds. Her forehead creased in a frown. "Take what back?"

"I thought that asshole only smacked you down because you're…you know." Yosuke held his hand out horizontally, about a meter off the ground. "But now I'm impressed you got in two good hits!"

"I have helped apprehend suspects before, Yosuke-senpai," she shot back, a little huffily, "and they rarely come willingly."

He grinned back at her and winked. "Nah, seriously, I'm totally impressed. Plus a little envious you got to take him on."

"You'll get your chance, Hanamura," Chie said. She glanced at her watch, then at Souji and Dojima – and winced. "But it's getting late…and I think Souji might be tied up for a while. A really _long_ while. Maybe we should meet up and talk over all this tomorrow."

She said it lightly, but something heavy hung in the air: the thing nobody _really_ wanted to talk about tomorrow at all, because, in the end, this was gonna be it. They had to take down Adachi. And it wouldn't be easy.

"Yeah. Good plan. Looks like all the exciting stuff's over anyway." Yosuke rapped his knuckles on the top of Teddie's suit. "C'mon, Ted, get out of there. Come with me to the lobby and we'll wait for Souji."

"We'll head out now," Yukiko said, as she and Chie linked arms. "Kanji-kun, are you walking back with Rise-chan?"

"Yeah," he answered – then, in a monumental feat of courage, added, "And Naoto."

Naoto's response was instant and predictable. "I do not need to be walked home."

"Tough shit," muttered Kanji.

"You've had a tough night, Naoto-kun," Rise said, a little more helpfully.

"And I _certainly_ do not require babysitting."

Though she'd made a good stab at keeping it, Rise's patience had already run out. She threw up her hands with a small noise of exasperation. "Look, Kanji-kun doesn't want you to go alone and I don't wanna go without Kanji-kun, so we all have to hit your place first, okay?"

Kanji winced.

Fine, so it was all true, but Rise made it sound so _lame_. Naoto didn't need to hear it, he didn't _want_ her to hear it, and yet he heard himself saying, "Y-Yeah. Rise's right."

Naoto stared at him for what felt like long, silent hours.

"That makes no sense whatsoever," she said at last, already turning away and not sounding the slightest bit convincing. "Very well. We'll depart now."

* * *

Uehara being too busy helping Dojima bitch Souji out, they had to make their way to Naoto's place on foot. The snow had been light when they'd left the hospital, but by the time they turned into the same road as Naoto's apartment block, it was tumbling through the fog in fat flakes, forming drifts against the sides of buildings. Kanji liked snow usually, especially when it got him out of school, but this felt _dirty_. It looked white as usual when fresh, but who was to say what the fog did to it on the way down?

At the base of the steps outside the apartment block, Naoto turned to face them. She looked at Rise and Kanji in turn - skimming very quickly over the latter - then sighed. "I can't, in good conscience, send you away in this weather. You…should stay the night."

Rise clasped her gloved hands together. "Ooh, a sleepover!"

It'd been the first time she'd smiled since they'd left the hospital, and maybe that was why Naoto more or less let the comment slide. "This is purely for practical purposes, Rise-chan," she said quietly, as she led them up the steps and into the building. They rode the elevator in silence – Rise seeming to relax as soon as they were indoors, out of the fog – and walked down the corridor to Naoto's apartment.

Inside, it looked much the same as Kanji remembered it: unused, maybe a little sterile. He glanced at the closet on the other side of the living room. The papers were still wedged under the door.

_You're not perfect,_ he thought, watching Naoto shrugging off his snow-dusted coat. It was far more reassuring than he'd expected.

She caught his eye, looked away, then looked back. "Thank you for the loan of your coat. I hope you weren't too cold."

"S'fine," Kanji said, and didn't mention that he'd been near-freezing since two steps out the hospital lobby.

Though she'd just hung her own coat on a hook by the front door, Rise was still wearing at least three layers. "So where do we sleep?"

"Kanji-kun will stay out here on the sofa," Naoto said, "and you and I will be in the bedroom."

Rise's lips curved into a smirk. "A bedroom that only has one bed. I like the sound of this. Snuggling up with the Detective Prince!"

The blush on Naoto's cheeks would've put tomatoes to shame. "Y-You will take the bed," she stammered. "I will take the floor."

The smirk turned into a pout. "Spoilsport. Can I have a hot bath first?"

"This apartment has a shower. Would that suffice?" Rise nodded back - and Naoto frowned at her forearm. "Teddie mentioned that you were injured earlier. Will you be alright with-"

"I'll keep the dressing dry." Lightning quick, Rise wrapped her good arm round Naoto's waist and winked at her. "Unless you're offering to go in there with me and help?"

"N-No. I, um, need to – ah—"

With a quiet giggle, Rise turned the motion into a light hug. "Kidding, Naoto-kun. Be right back." She walked to the bathroom, and closed the door behind her, leaving Kanji and Naoto in a slightly awkward silence. The faint sound of running water soon came from inside.

Eventually, Naoto looked back at where he still stood by the front door. "You can sit down," she said, and nodded toward the sofa.

Kanji settled carefully down in the center, trying not to aggravate his sore ribs. They hadn't hurt too bad on the way here, but the cold had left him too numb to feel much of anything. Rise wasn't the only one who'd appreciate a hot bath.

He glanced at the bathroom door. "Looks like she's doin' better now she's indoors."

"I suspect Rise is a far better actress than her television dramas would suggest," Naoto said – then, seeing Kanji's wide-eyed reaction, quickly added, "Research. I – needed to learn as much as possible about your group."

"Did y'listen to her music?"

Naoto folded her arms and sat down beside him. "…I tried." This time, she looked toward the bathroom. "She had a difficult night."

"So did you."

At that, Naoto gave him a _look_: one that Kanji couldn't interpret exactly, because it seemed to contain too many things at once. He stared at the floor instead - which, while infinitely less interesting than Naoto, at least didn't make his stomach twist itself into a pretzel.

Silence settled again. Somehow, this one was less awkward, but he was still acutely aware of the presence next to him – that Naoto had _chosen_ to sit there – and he looked up to catch her watching him. "Wh-What?"

She quickly looked away, suddenly captivated by the opposite wall. "This sofa will not be comfortable for you."

He shrugged, and the throbbing in his chest made him instantly regret it. "Floor don't sound much better. Got anything you can sleep on down there?"

"Blankets. I have no other spare bedding. I - assumed I would never need it."

Figured. Naoto didn't seem the sleepover type. If, as Kanji suspected, she was as bad at making friends as he was, she'd probably never needed to be. He watched her at the corner of his vision – her shoulders angled with exhaustion, her hands gripping her knees. She'd left her hat to dry in the kitchen, and her hair was a little damp too, strands of it clinging to her neck and ears.

…She had really _cute_ ears. The thought had come absently, and when Kanji registered it, furious heat rushed to his face and he stared at the wall hard enough to burn holes in it. He did his best to distract himself, thinking about Shadow fights, sewing patterns, anything but Naoto. But the one thought his mind kept pinging back to was the question he'd been asking ever since he jumped in the television – or rather, since he realized she'd jumped in after him.

"What you did t'night," he said, not looking at her. "I-I don't get why you did it."

"What?"

"Followin' me." He shook his head. "It was dumb as hell, and that ain't you."

He looked toward Naoto at the end of the sentence. She was still staring away from him, cheeks flushed with – anger, maybe? She definitely _looked_ pissed off. "I have already explained myself, and I see my actions are rewarded with ingratitude."

"That ain't the point!" She took _everything_ the wrong way, never saw what he was getting at or why. He could kind of understand it, knowing how she'd spent so much time alone, that she'd always tried to handle everything herself; that he'd spent years doing the same damn thing. Didn't mean it didn't piss him off. "You coulda been hurt bad," he muttered.

In profile, her mouth tightened. "I regret that you consider me to be so incompetent that I cannot-"

"Never said that." She'd saved his life, _of course_ she wasn't fricking incompetent.

She rounded on him, eyes blazing. "Then why were you so determined to harm Adachi?"

"'Cause of what he did to Nanako-chan! And 'cause I don't let _anybody_ beat up on my friends. I'd wanna do the same if he'd laid into Souji-senpai, or Ted, or anyone I care 'bout."

It was a half-truth at best. Sure, Kanji would be royally pissed at anyone who went after Souji-senpai or the others, but Naoto was different. It wasn't about coddling her, playing the white knight. It was about someone he liked not getting hurt. Someone he _more_ than liked, who he wanted to keep safe and nearby, even though she bitched him out for doing it and even if she never really understood why he did.

Like now, for example. "I am well aware that my size and physical sex both incite certain primitive-" It'd come out in a rush, but Naoto stopped short, jaw clenched, and shook her head. "I do not need _protecting_, Kanji-kun."

"I _know_, alright, but that don't stop-" Kanji barely caught himself before _'me from wanting to do it'. _"—P-People from worrying."

Naoto gripped her knees more tightly, but held his gaze. "People should save their energy." She raised an eyebrow. "And not jump into televisions when attempting to apprehend criminals."

Nervous as he was, he couldn't help a grin. "I'm new to this, cut me some slack."

Her lips quirked in a half-smile, almost too quick to catch before she looked away. Once again, the conversation petered out.

In the bathroom, the water was still running. It was dark outside and the blinds had already been drawn when they'd walked in, but Kanji swore he could still feel the dank fog pressing against the windows, so thick he half-expected it to block the falling snow. He imagined deep drifts resting on top, high enough where the fog actually stopped – because it had to somewhere, right? Like if they all just left Inaba, it'd be gone and they wouldn't have to deal with this anymore. They wouldn't have to jump back in tomorrow or the day after and face a guy who killed two people, who'd tricked all of them, who seemed to control the Shadows.

But if they didn't do it, who would? Adachi had said the two worlds would merge by the end of the year. The fog would get thicker and thicker until Shadows finally spilled through the televisions, into houses and shops, tearing the town apart – and they were the only people who could stop it. Kanji just wasn't sure they'd succeed. He _hated_ Adachi, so bitter and visceral that it seemed to swallow his whole body, but he wasn't stupid. This'd be the hardest fight they'd ever faced. Who was to say they'd all make it out?

"Naoto -" he started, forcing himself not to look away when she turned her head. He hesitated, trying to put his thoughts together. "When I heard the gunshot on the phone, when Senpai and me found out you'd left with that bastard, when that mech tossed you flying, all those times - I - " _Felt shit-scared for you, wanted to help you, wished I could've kept it from happening at all._ "I-I just wanted you to be alright."

Naoto's face didn't betray any emotion. Her eyes – wide, gunmetal blue-grey - did. "…And I was."

"Stay that way," he said, trying to sound gentle but firm; just like Souji would. He wasn't sure if he'd succeeded, but at least Naoto didn't seem offended. She stared down at her hands, still clasped over her knees.

"I am concerned for Rise-chan. And Souji-senpai." Her grip tightened. "And you. So, I can - understand why you would-"

"Good. 'Cause I do."

Naoto shifted beside him. "We will capture Adachi," she said, softly, "and I will endeavor to stay safe."

Adachi really had it in for her. At first, Kanji had thought the fight at the station had been solely because she'd figured the bastard out, but what he'd heard inside the television had left him doubtful. "I get why he wants to hurt Senpai, but what did you do to piss him off so bad?"

She let out a heavy breath, eyes closed. "He knows that I am female and competent - and that I considered him a contemptible idiot. It was not an opinion I bothered to hide." She opened her eyes, and shook her head. "It appears I was wrong."

It shouldn't matter who or what somebody was, Kanji thought - but to assholes like Adachi, it always would. "Well, _he_ was wrong too. You ain't a freak."

Naoto blinked at him. There was a split-second where she actually frowned, like he'd said something wrong, though it quickly faded. "Thank you," she told him. It was quiet, a little unsteady, and he'd expected them to lapse back into silence afterward, but she kept going. "When I jumped in after you - it was a snap decision. Irrational."

The words should've sounded dismissive – _I wasn't thinking straight when I saved your life_ – but if anything, Naoto seemed uncomfortable. Uncertain, and Kanji couldn't fathom why. Maybe she was just embarrassed over doing something so dumb.

But she'd still done it. And if she hadn't...

"Thanks," he told her. "For being there."

Naoto didn't answer, but when Kanji raised his hand, willing it not to shake, and laid it carefully over her shoulder, she also didn't move away.

The snow was whirling in thick flurries outside, the fog loomed against the windows, and the thought of what the team needed to do to fix all this scared him more than he'd ever admit. The image of what would happen to Inaba if they failed was even worse. Sitting next to Naoto, as close as he'd probably ever get to holding her, Kanji tried to tell himself they could _do_ it, and for a moment, it seemed like everything might eventually be okay...but right now, not much was.


	37. Interlude 10

_I still haven't caught up on responding to reviews, queries etc., but I thought you might all appreciate a new (belated) installment more than my messages. Hope so, anyway. Apologies to those whose messages I missed, will try my very best to respond promptly from here on._

_To answer a couple of questions…it's doubtful I'll include much from The Golden or P4A in this story. Next story will feature references and characters from both. As for writing specifically about P4A, it's possible! I have some ideas for one-shots, but Shortest Distance takes precedence. Not many chapters left._

_Story so far: With a little help, Souji, Kanji and Naoto made it out of the television, though not before an unpleasant encounter with Adachi._

_In this interlude: Dreams in the fog, plans for battle, and an overdue dose of honesty from Naoto._

* * *

**December 6th, 2011**

After too many recent nights slumped at a desk in the police station, insomnia was both unfamiliar and, given the circumstances, understandable. Naoto had been wide-awake for what felt like hours, wrapped in heavy blankets on the bedroom floor and staring at the ceiling. Dim light from the street lamps seeped through the narrow gaps in the window-blinds, hazy through the filter of fog that pressed up against her apartment building. She closed her eyes, her breath as loud in her ears as Rise's silence on the bed, and began counting. _One. Two. Four. Eight. Sixteen. _

A minute or so later, somewhere just shy of four-point-two million, Naoto paused. The silence felt _wrong_. It hung too heavy, as if the air itself had thickened and swallowed all sound. Her eyes cracked open onto the same faint light as before – but now it was swirled steel grey, pressing down from above, clogging her lungs with each breath.

The window. She must have opened it earlier. She climbed to her feet, tripping slightly on the tangled blankets, stumbled through the fog to where the window should have been - and realized it _wasn't_. The room itself was different, its faint outline unfamiliar in the murky grey, and the bed beside her was empty. Where _was_ she? What had happened to Rise? Was Kanji still sleeping outside?

_Focus_. A door was set in the center of the far wall, and she grabbed the handle to pull it open - then paused.

There were voices on the other side. Two of them, strange and familiar and terrible all at once. Over ten years had passed since she'd last heard them in person and she'd sometimes suspected she'd forgotten them completely, filled the gaps with invented amalgamations – but somehow she knew these were her parents' voices. They sounded softer than those in the dream she'd had at Kanji's house, what felt like months ago, and - -

...No. Her parents were dead. Naoto jerked back from the door as if the handle had burned her skin. Her phone buzzed on a nearby dresser, and she grabbed it without thinking, flipped it open to reveal a message on the screen.

_**Humans yearn for fog; oblivion's comforting embrace.**_

No name or number was attached. If not for the content, she might have written it off as a glitch.

And there was laughter on top of the voices now, high-pitched and near-hysterical. Tohru Adachi's, she realized, but somehow her father's quiet whisper cut through. _Come outside, Naoto._

Her phone slipped from her hand, shattered against the floor - plastic and glass shards in the snow, the streetlights outside the police station too faint to—

Naoto blinked.

_Come outside._

Her fingers wrapped around the door handle.

Her parents were waiting. They'd always been waiting.

The fog enveloped her, stagnant and almost soothing – shrouding her doubts, filling in all the empty spaces - and all she had to do was-

* * *

Naoto's eyes flew open to darkness.

The familiar lines and angles of her bedroom gradually because visible, but the dim light was just that. There was no fog, now – and neither silence nor laughter, because someone was -

Someone was crying.

Later, she would chastise herself for, just for an instant, fearing that it might be her. Sukuna-Hikona was buzzing distantly, anxiously in the back of her head, but unlike the last time her eyes remained dry. She was strong, she was in control, and that knowledge should have set her mind at ease - but somehow, Rise's quiet sobbing made everything much worse.

Naoto swallowed. Her Persona was growing increasingly agitated by the sound, her chest and throat tightening in turn. "...Rise-chan?"

"...Wow, N-Naoto-kun." Rise's half-hearted laugh didn't hide the tremble in her voice. "Don't you ever sleep?"

"I slept soundly during our visit to the Amagi Inn. You made fun of me the following morning."

Rise's response was a noise of annoyance, somewhere between a groan and a sigh. "I said you looked cute when you were asleep! That's not making fun." There was a slight sniffling in the dark, and the bed sheets rustled. "Hey, you should get up here."

Naoto blinked. "Wh-Why?"

"Because I'm pretty sure you're _not_ supposed to lay on the floor with bruised ribs or whatever you've got from the TV."

They had conducted this same conversation several hours ago. Naoto shifted against the floor and tried to burrow deeper into her blankets. "I am perfectly comfortable."

"Liar," said Rise, light and astute. "There's tons of space up here, y'know."

"Space for one individual. And you are a guest, therefore-"

"Fine," she cut in, ending on an emphatic sigh. "You take the bed, and I'll go hop on the sofa with Kanji-kun instead."

"Absolutely _not_." The words were out of Naoto's mouth before she'd registered them, and before she could formulate an acceptable explanation. "I-I-I cannot permit such blatant impropriety," she managed, and hoped Rise would drop the topic.

She didn't. "_Blatant impropriety_. Naoto-kun, you seriously need to spit that dictionary out." More shuffling around on the bed, as though Rise were moving away from the edge. "You also need to get up here before I go tell Kanji-kun to budge up and make room."

Arguing with Rise was akin to standing on a beach and shouting at the tide to go away. Naoto grimaced, let out an annoyed half-grunt, and sat up.

Sukuna-Hikona, she noted, had fallen silent again. In retrospect it had been reassuring to hear him again, to know their connection remained, no matter how tenuous. What was more disturbing was that both presumably both she and Rise had been afflicted by nightmares. Had the same happened to Kanji? He would benefit from company if so, but knowing Kanji, he wouldn't dare to knock on the bedroom door. "Should we check on him?"

"Nah, after everything that happened tonight he's probably out cold. So, why'd you do it?"

The question had been tagged on almost casually: Rise's usual tactic. Halfway through climbing onto the bed and somewhat distracted, Naoto actually allowed herself to consider it - then cut the thought off a split-second later. "Do what."

Another, quieter sigh. "C'mon, don't play innocent. Kanji-kun was a dumb as a bag of bricks for jumping in after Adachi – so why did _you_ follow him?"

Naoto wished she had an answer. Or, at least, an answer she could understand. "It was necessary," she said, trying to force her voice low and steady. "He would have been in dire straits alone."

"So you were worried."

"Of – of course. Kanji-kun is a valued teammate, why wouldn't I—" She took a deep breath. "Rise-chan, please refrain from reading bizarre meanings into my actions."

"_Liiittle_ defensive, there. So what if you care what happens to Kanji-kun? It's not like that's a bad thing."

'Bad' was too weightless a description. Bewildering, alarming, stomach-turning...Naoto could supply endless adjectives and never fully explain the jumble of emotions she'd been struggling to ignore. Following Kanji inside the television had made it all _real_ – and worse, had made some statement that she had no means to decipher. She cared for all her new friends, inexperienced as she was in having them, yet her mind continually revolved back to the same question: if it hadn't been Kanji who had jumped in, would she have still immediately followed?

She turned onto her side, facing away from Rise. "I – don't want to talk about this."

"Okay. Sorry."

Rise had dropped the question so quickly, Naoto almost found herself apologizing. Instead, she curled up tighter, fists pressed against her knees, and tried not to think. Silence settled over them, for long enough that she wondered if her bedmate had fallen asleep. Rise's breathing hadn't slowed enough, though, and it was little surprise when she finally spoke. "This kind of bed reminds me of going on tour," she said. "Staying in fancy city hotels, ordering room service..." Her tone had started out almost wistful, but dissolved into a giggle. "I used to order the weirdest stuff I could think of. Salmon stuffed with strawberry Pocky, that kind of thing."

"Why?"

"Dunno. I was bored, I guess. It wasn't like anyone ever stopped me."

Naoto, accustomed to near-identical business hotels, was not a fan of such extravagance. "That sounds rather irresponsible."

"Probably." A finger jabbed Naoto between her shoulder blades. "Don't worry, I'll take you with me next time, the record company'll pay you to ruin all my fun."

"I _have_ a job already," Naoto pointed out.

"Yeah - Naoto Shirogane, professional killjoy!" Rise trilled, but quickly followed it with, "Kidding. You know that, right?"

Naoto closed her eyes. "Try to sleep, Rise-chan. Tomorrow may be-"

"I know." The bed shifted as Rise nestled closer, and her hand squeezed Naoto's shoulder. "It'll be fine, Naoto-kun. We'll all be fine."

* * *

Naoto quietly cracked open the bedroom door, expecting to see Kanji still asleep on the sofa, and instead found the room empty. The sound of running water came from behind the closed bathroom door.

Perhaps his night had been as restless as her own. She'd slept little after her conversation with Rise, and had been awake to watch the fog gradually lighten in colour; the closest Inaba got to a rosy dawn, these days. Eventually, at around seven-thirty, she'd been able to disengage from Rise's halfway hug without waking her. Naoto had quickly dressed herself, then spent a considerable time searching for her phone until she'd remembered its fate the previous evening.

She perched on the sofa, noting the neatly folded stack of blankets beside her, and waited. The water soon stopped running, and when the bathroom door opened moments later, Kanji walked out into the living room with his hair clearly freshly gelled. Naoto found herself wondering what he looked like without it.

He glanced up at her, but seemed preoccupied with his sweater sleeve. There was a long tear in the fabric - by now par for the course inside the TV world. "Uh, hey, Naoto. Rise still sleepin'?"

Naoto nodded. "Her rest was disturbed earlier in the night."

"She ain't the only one. I dreamt a whole bunch of crap." He looked at Naoto again, frowning in what she took for curiosity. "You?"

Naoto opened her mouth to answer (_no, of course not_), then closed it. She was about to try again when a jingle blared from somewhere near the apartment entrance. It seemed to be coming from Rise's coat, left hanging from a hook by the front door.

Rise burst out of the bedroom, already fully-dressed. "Oh, that's mine - could you check it, Naoto-kun? I have to fix my hair. Passcodes 6221! And Kanji-kun, get started with breakfast!"

"Who said that was _my_ job? And what's the point inna passcode if-" As Rise disappeared into the bathroom, Kanji trailed off into an unhappy grunt.

Naoto shrugged. "Rise considers me trustworthy."

"Well…yeah." He gave a slight, wry sort of smile. "But y'know, she's just given a pro detective full access t'her phone records."

"Let's hope I never have cause for blackmail," Naoto said, with a small half-smile in return, then fished the cellphone out from Rise's coat and flipped it open to the passcode prompt. After tapping out the final digit, a message appeared on the screen. A phrase flashed through her mind – something about yearning for fog? – but sputtered out a split-second later. Predictably, the text message was from Souji: a request that the team assemble to plan their next move.

…And doubtless discuss the previous night. Questions would be asked that she was not ready to answer, because the answers she'd found not only made no sense but raised even more questions in turn. And then there was Adachi's role in events, which she should have deduced sooner. A 'pro detective', as Kanji had put it, would have seen through Adachi's act months ago; Naoto had realized the truth merely minutes before his open betrayal.

"Souji-senpai sent a text," she told Kanji, without looking up. "We are to meet at his uncle's house at nine."

Across the room, the window blinds rustled. "Eh, it'll beat sittin' in the food court in this weather."

She closed the phone and slipped it back in Rise's coat pocket. When she chanced a look at Kanji, he was staring into space, hands in his pockets. He seemed to be standing oddly, as if favouring one side, and she remembered his injuries from the previous night. "Are you ready to enter the TV?"

He frowned at her. "Huh?"

"Your injuries. They were not completely healed, and we may pursue Adachi today." The decision would be Souji's, and Naoto wasn't certain he would choose wisely.

The frown edged closer to a scowl. "We better. M'ready to smack that bastard one end of the TV world to the other."

"Pretty long way, Kanji-kun." Rise walked out of the bathroom, still fastening one of her twin-tails. "So, what's for breakfast?"

Kanji shook his head. "We gotta head to Senpai's. But he's probably stocked up, if Hanamura's had any say. Guess I can make us all somethin' there."

"Good idea. Otherwise _he_ might try to do it," she said, wincing, then nodded toward the door. "C'mon, let's head out."

After bundling up into their respective coats – Naoto fortunately having a spare to replace the one she'd been forced to leave at the police station – the three made their way out of the apartment building. Outside, faint sunlight strained through the fog, and though it was cold enough that the snow on the ground hadn't melted, it had least stopped falling for now. Yet the roads were still empty; as they walked to the bus stop, Naoto saw no vehicles or other pedestrians pass by. Even the snow looked surprisingly free of footprints, given how many apartments and other residences lined this street.

"Yikes, it's cold." Rise hunched down into her coat. "Hope we don't have to wait long."

Kanji leaned against the bus stop sign, one foot kicking idly at the snow. "Fog's making all the buses run late. Prob'ly makes more sense to –"

"Oh, _crap_!" Naoto glanced over at the outburst, and saw Rise had turned pale. 'I forgot to call Grandma last night!" She snatched her phone from her pocket, flipping it open in the same motion, and began dialing. "Sorry, guys, damage control."

"Did you contact your mother?" Naoto asked Kanji.

"Nah, forgot...but she's used to me disappearing. I'll call her when we get t'Senpai's."

Naoto nodded absently, distracted both by Rise's efforts to placate her grandmother (which didn't appear to have started well) and by the fog wreathed around them. It stirred the sounds and images from her nightmare: the strange room, the way the fog had seeped inside to fill it, and most of all the voices of her parents.

She looked at Kanji. "Last night. What did you dream?"

"Like I said. Bunch of crap." He didn't look up. "My – my dad was there."

"...I'm sorry."

Kanji's shrug was too quick to be casual. "Eh. Dreamt about him before. The fog, too. Just – not like that." He glanced over his shoulder at Rise, who'd walked a few steps away. "Rise mention anything?"

"She didn't need to," Naoto said quietly.

"Damn. You think it's 'cause of what Adachi said? This world mixing with that one?"

Naoto was not one to put stock in dreams. But while she was ill-inclined to trust Adachi's claims, this fog suggested he might actually have been telling the truth about the two worlds merging. If so, and the TV world fed off the minds of those thrown inside, did the same now apply here? "I don't know," she admitted. "But I'm beginning to believe there's more to the fog's ill effects than simple hysteria. That's certainly part of it, but…"' She shook her head. Any explanation she offered right now would be conjecture.

Kanji sighed, his breath forming a cloud in the freezing air. "I thought everyone was just gettin' worked up over nothing."

Arms folded, Naoto tilted back her head to stare at the sky. Even this long after dawn, the sun was no more than a blurry-edged disc, low and dull behind layers of wool-thick fog.

So. Assume Adachi to be correct. The question then became how far the situation would progress. A dreadful image struck her: Shadows pouring through television screens, attacking Inaba's inhabitants in their homes and stores and workplaces. The only consolation was that the fog remained confined to this town, so escape might still be possible – but with neither warning nor means of defence, how many humans would survive the initial attack?

"Uh, Naoto?"

Naoto lowered her gaze. Kanji was chewing his bottom lip and not quite looking at her. "I – uh, said this earlier, but – thanks. For followin' me. Woulda been sunk without ya."

Her shoulders tensed. "Yes, I know."

There was no _reason_ for him to thank her again. Like Rise, he was putting too much emphasis on a single, instinctive act. And he was still not-quite-looking - _waiting_, even, as if his half-formed set of sentences had posed some question and warranted an honest answer.

The problem was, Naoto now suspected that it had. And it did.

She looked away. The words came without thinking. "I'd do it again."

Kanji didn't respond.

She was on the verge of glancing back at him, almost against her will, when he finally spoke. "Naoto, y-you don't hafta –"

"Aw, c'mon, _please_ don't ground me! I-I've gotta go study with my senpai today!" Rise scurried over and thrust her cell toward Kanji. "Kanji-kun, my grandma likes you, can you vouch for me?"

Whatever he had been about to say was lost. Naoto had expected to feel gratitude.

"Dammit, Rise!" he snarled, but took the phone nonetheless. "Uh, hey, Kujikawa-san. N-No, I wasn't snappin' at you, promise!"

The idea of Kanji Tatsumi – whose photograph Naoto had seen prominently pinned to a noticeboard at the police station days before she'd first confronted him – providing adequate reassurance to Rise's grandmother seemed highly unlikely. _Many_ things about Kanji seemed unlikely. His deep interest in sewing and knitting animal toys; the assistance he offered his mother in the textiles shop; his refusal to enter the school's sewing room in case he scared away the other students. Yet the same boy had engaged in a street brawl with Sonoda and, only a short while later, been so blinded by rage that he'd jumped into the TV world alone. Naoto found herself wishing he could just be _definite_ – knowing he would have every right to think the same of her.

"Yeah, I know, Rise shoulda called. But she's usually real good 'bout that stuff, right? An' she was at Naoto's, so –" He paused, wincing. "No, 'course I wasn't there! She, uh, just told me."

Kanji, Naoto reflected, was a horrible liar. Part of her suspected that, in retrospect, she might be too. She turned away, tuned out the phone conversation – in which Rise had now loudly re-involved herself - and waited for the bus to arrive.

* * *

"So we're going in today, right?" Yosuke asked, though it didn't sound like a question. He'd been restless since he'd arrived at Dojima's house, and had only picked at the rice, natto and eggs Kanji had made for the group.

Chie gave a firm nod. Nerves or not, she'd cleared her plate within minutes. "Yeah, no fair that you guys got a sneak preview last night. Seriously, Kanji-kun, wait for the rest of us next time!"

"Better tell that to Naoto-kun, too," Yosuke said, smirking. "Seeing as _logic_ doesn't count for much where Tatsumi's concerned."

Heat rushed to Naoto's cheeks, and she ducked her head. She'd spent most of the time since her arrival helping Souji recap in detail the previous night's events. Aside from the inevitable teasing from Yosuke, there had thankfully been little comment on her decision to follow Kanji. She hoped the other members of the team had simply thought it the natural course of action, though the way Chie, Yukiko and Rise had all glanced at each other had suggested otherwise.

"Can it, Hanamura," Kanji snapped. He'd stayed standing in the kitchen even while eating. "Are we going to Junes or what?"

Souji nodded, finishing up his last mouthful of rice. "Yep. To train."

Kanji, Chie, and Yosuke all stared at him, aghast. "_What_?"

"We're going to train. We aren't ready to fight him yet. Last night proved that," Souji added, with a pointed look at Kanji.

Naoto opted for silence. Sensible as she knew Senpai to be, part of her had expected an immediate plunge back into Adachi's twisted version of Inaba.

"We can't afford to wait!" Yosuke snapped. "C'mon, Souji, you've _seen_ how the town's getting, we don't know how long we have!"

"We still need to prepare."

"But—"

Souji held up a hand. "Yosuke, this isn't up for debate."

Yosuke looked dumbfounded at that – and though he maintained eye contact with Souji, he made no effort to hide the hurt in his expression. Next to him, Chie glanced between them both and shifted awkwardly against the floor. "Well, okay…so when do we start?"

"Ted's supposed to be working at Junes till two," Yosuke said, still with that strange, injured look at Souji. "We're majorly short-staffed and he has to make up for the shifts he missed while he was gone. But I think I can help him finish up early, maybe around noon."

"Fine. Chie, Yukiko, I want you to head to Daidara's," Souji said. "He probably won't have anything new for us but it won't hurt to check. Kanji and Rise, you've got Shiroku. Usual supplies will do. Naoto, I need your help strategizing. We've got to compensate somehow for our Personas' reduced strength, change up our defences."

"But we can all help with that," Rise blurted. Beside her, Chie and Yukiko both nodded in agreement. "The more brains the better, right?"

Naoto glanced at Kanji, but he was staring firmly at the kitchen counter, palms pressed flat against the surface.

Souji shook his head. "You'll be more useful if you stick to the tasks you've been set. If you get done early, take time to prepare yourself. It'll be a long day." He stood up from the table. "Everyone finish up and head out."

The rest of the team did as he asked, though with a few sidelong looks. Chie opened the front door, letting the fog spill into the house, and strode outside, closely followed by the rest of the group. Rise was the last to leave, shooting a final unreadable glance at Souji on the way.

If Souji noticed it, he said nothing. Instead he closed the door behind them, and leant the side of his head against the frame.

Naoto understood that certain tasks were better accomplished by small groups. Any strategizing by a team of seven would risk being slow-paced and inconclusive. However – and though six months ago, the idea would have struck her as absurd - she now also understood that solidarity sometimes surpassed practicality. "Senpai, that was—"

"Harsh?" He let out a breath. "Probably. I think I'm losing my touch," he added lightly, though without a trace of humour. "But if they stay, I know we'll start arguing over pursuing Adachi – and it was hard enough to say no the first time."

Naoto studied him carefully. Souji was sensible – but not infallible. "In Kanji-kun's place," she asked, "what would you have done?"

Souji straightened from the door. "If I'd been the one who'd gone after Adachi instead of checking on Nanako? I might've jumped in too." He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't _want_ us to wait. I hate that we're giving that bastard the chance to move first. He's already tried to kill me once, he's hurt too many people I care about, and for all we know he was lying about how long we have. But we aren't _ready_."

"I agree."

Souji dropped his hand and fixed her with a steady look. "Which is why I need you to help me figure things out. Just like with Heaven." His lips curved into a wry, slightly reproving smile. "You're the quickest and most rational thinker I've got, impulsive leaps into TVs notwithstanding."

Naoto dropped her gaze to the table surface. Her face felt flushed, and she tugged at the brim of her cap in an unconscious effort to hide it. She'd spent hours with Souji planning their assault on Namatame in Heaven's castle, but he'd never been quite so forthright about why he'd chosen her assistance over that of the others. In a detached sort of way, she felt gratified that her talents were being recognized, particularly by someone she so admired. Yet the praise was still a little too much to handle, and it still seemed unwise to shut out the rest of the team. "Perhaps," she mumbled. "But the others wanted to help too."

"I know." Souji's voice had turned strained. "But - I'm not even sure the planning will do any good. I don't know how we're going to _do_ this, and I wish everyone would just -" Another pause. He rubbed at his face. "It's complicated," he eventually said. "I need everyone's strength, I've known that since the start…but sometimes I really wish I was doing this alone." He looked up at Naoto. "No offence."

"You made the correct decision, Senpai."

"I hope so," he said, quietly. A few moments later, he walked over to his schoolbag by the door, opened it, and pulled out a pad of paper. "Enough of my complaining. Let's figure out what the hell we're going to do in there."


	38. Chapter 28

_Story so far: Prepared to confront Adachi, the team were sent off to train instead; a decision that proved particularly unpopular with Kanji, for multiple reasons._

_In this part: Souji plans, Adachi waits, and Kanji and Naoto take a plunge._

* * *

**December 14th, 2011**

"I'm not cut out for this," Yosuke muttered. Jiraiya was in the air behind him, scarf billowing in an unnatural breeze and hands glowing with the remnants of a Diarama. Chie hadn't really needed it, not for a few knocks and scratches from an underpowered Minotaur, but if she had – if they'd been facing Adachi or any one of the Shadows he could apparently control – they'd be in trouble. Yosuke had been pretty good at this stuff once, but with Yukiko and Ted both tossing out Diaharans he must've fallen out of practice.

"You're doing your best," Chie said, and shrugged. "I guess Souji and Naoto-kun had a point about switching jobs."

Kanji wasn't convinced. It'd been a whole week straight of training, of rushing to Junes immediately after school and stumbling back out minutes from closing time. They'd fought their way up and down Heaven's Castle over and over, sometimes in pairs and threes and sometimes all eight of them together. It'd been Souji and Naoto's idea to practice the last one, too. Hadn't worked out. Senpai and Rise still hadn't been able to keep track and everyone had gotten in each others' way – Yosuke and Chie almost coming to blows one time when Jiraiya caught her with a mistimed Garudyne. There'd been other, sometimes successful new strategies, too: different formations, people changing roles, all this stuff Naoto and Souji spent breaks at school coming up with and then stayed outside Junes to recap each night.

But the team still hadn't gone near Adachi. Their Personas might work fine here in Heaven, but they hadn't figured out why his version of Inaba weakened them or how it managed to block Souji's wild-card ability completely. Meanwhile, the fog had all but swallowed Inaba and the end of the year was rushing ever closer. If the possibly-maybe-end-of-the-world wasn't enough to rile Souji up, Kanji had no idea what would - and the whole situation set his teeth on edge with frustration. Didn't help that Souji and Naoto were practically joined at the hip, and that – if she was going to choose – it made horrible sense that Naoto'd pick-

"Yo, dude, are you listening?" Yosuke waved a hand in front of Kanji's face. "Don't zone out, we've got four more floors to cover."

Kanji looked around at the narrow walkways crisscrossing empty space. Heaven was _organized_, floor after floor. Totally different to Adachi's sprawling, scattered version of Inaba. Where would they even start looking for the bastard?

"We shouldn't be wastin' time here," he muttered. He hadn't meant to say it out loud, but Yosuke's and Chie's expressions didn't suggest they disagreed.

Yosuke rolled his shoulders, gaze fixed on Heaven's upper levels. "Souji worries too much. We - okay, so I don't know if we can take Adachi, to be honest. But we've gotta try, and _fast_."

The reason was obvious. What if Adachi had been lying about when the two worlds would merge? Shit, it could happen tomorrow. It certainly seemed that way, when walking to school each morning was like swimming through the fog. You almost had to push against it, like it'd congealed around you.

"But Souji just doesn't want any of us to get hurt," Yosuke continued. "Like I said. Worries too much."

"I – I dunno. I just get the feeling that he –" Chie trailed off, biting her lip. "We - we used to really feel like a team, remember? But ever since Nanako and Namatame-"

"He still needs us," Yosuke broke in. "We're his friends, right?

Souji had always seemed like he had it together, more than anyone Kanji had ever met. But that'd been before November. Something had changed then, starting with Nanako's kidnapping and made ten times worse by the fight with Namatame, and Senpai hadn't gotten over it. He pushed the team away, pulled them back; was concerned enough to make them train for days, yet shut almost all of them out from the decisions and planning. But he was still the boss. The leader. Hell, the team even _called_ him that. If you didn't have faith in the guy steering you into battle, you didn't stand a chance.

Kanji nodded, a little too forcefully. "Yeah. We are. An' Senpai knows the score. C'mon, let's keep moving."

* * *

**December 16th, 2011**

Kanji fidgeted against the plastic chair outside Nanako's room, stretching his long legs out into the corridor. Trying to make yourself comfortable on hospital furniture was hopeless. Knowing that he really didn't want to be here made it even worse – because what kind of jerk wouldn't want to visit a little kid, check she was doing okay?

Easy answer: a jerk who wanted to be kicking Adachi's ass instead. Kanji had been geared up for another day of training – maybe even a foray into that messed-up Inaba, or so he'd hoped – until Souji had told the team that he wanted to visit Nanako that night instead. Hadn't quite invited them to join him, but when Rise asked he hadn't said no. Most of the team were in Nanako's room right now. There wasn't enough space for everyone at once, though, and so Ted had wandered off, Kanji had opted to wait outside, and Naoto had decided to stand opposite him, hands clasped behind her back.

A month or two ago, the situation would've felt nothing but awkward – and it still _was_, but now oddly comfortable too. As many knots as he tied himself in over Naoto, he _wanted_ to be around her, felt better knowing she was nearby. Maybe that was progress. Shame he couldn't think of much to say – and that she had as much talent for conversation as he did.

He turned his attention to the floor. Zoned out, he didn't hear the footsteps heading down the corridor until Teddie stopped right in front of him, coat pockets bursting with candy and vending-machine junk.

"Kanji-chan, you look miserable!" Ted thrust a can of Mad Bull toward him. "Here."

Caffeine wasn't really what Kanji needed right now, but he took the drink and cracked it open. "Thanks, man. You buy up everything in the machine or what?"

"I thought everyone might be hungry," Ted said, flopping down in the seat next to his and scattering gumballs on the floor. "We've been here a while."

"And you haven't visited Nanako-chan yet," Naoto pointed out. "Don't you want to see her?"

"I do! But..." The same look crossed Ted's face as last night, outside Junes, when he'd launched into his stumbling explanation of where he'd gone when he'd vanished and exactly what he'd figured out. He looked uneasy, vulnerable – and very human.

"This about what you told us yesterday? You bein' a Shadow?" Kanji would've been lying if he'd claimed to have seen Ted's confession coming. But with everything else going on, did it really matter? Whether Teddie was a Shadow or not, he sure as hell didn't act like one.

Ted's gaze fell to his lap. "Nana-chan doesn't know. I don't think she even knows what Shadows are. And Sensei's uncle definitely doesn't."

"Dojima-san believes you to be an exchange student," said Naoto. "I see no issue."

"Yeah, quit makin' a big deal out of nothing. S'like Naoto and Chie-senpai said - you're pretty much human now." Not just because he had a human body, but because he was in the same damn boat as the rest of the gang: trying to figure himself out and trying to do right by everyone else. "You're one of us, yeah?"

"But it's like I lied to everyone, even if I didn't really know." Teddie leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and let out a sigh. "Except I think maybe I _did_. It's bear-y confusing."

"Who cares what you are?" Kanji insisted. "It's what you _do_ that matters."

"Smart talk, Tatsumi."

He'd barely noticed the door to Nanako's room opening behind him as he'd started to speak, so he hadn't expected Dojima's response. "Uh. Yeah. Th-Thanks."

Naoto nodded stiffly. "Dojima-san."

"Shirogane," Dojima said, returning the nod, his expression pitched somewhere between exasperation and resignation. "Listen, I've chewed Souji's ear off over all this already, and I still barely understand what the hell you kids've been doing. And more explanations won't fix that," he quickly added, with a pointed look at Naoto. "But from the little I get, it sounds like there's practically nothing I can do to help. I can't go in there with you and I can't send anyone from the force in either."

"An accurate summation," Naoto said.

Dojima's expression turned grimmer. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

Truth was, Kanji didn't either. Sure, he wanted to make Adachi pay – but the fact that a bunch of kids had to handle it, that they were the only ones who could, just didn't seem fair.

...Which was a _seriously_ pathetic thing to think. He stood from his chair and turned to face Dojima. "Don't worry, yeah? We got this. We've been doin' it most of the year."

"Souji said basically the same thing. Not sure he believed it," Dojima said. He let out a sigh, one hand rubbing at the stubble on his chin. "I'd say you should've told an adult months ago, but I can't think of a single one who'd have believed you."

Uehara stepped through the open doorway, with Souji two steps behind her. "Dojima-san, I thought you were heading back to your room?" she scolded.

"Yeah, yeah. On my way." Dojima looked first at Souji, then at Kanji, Ted, and Naoto in turn – his stern glare softening just slightly. "You're good kids. Keep yourselves safe."

"Seconded," Uehara said." And if there's anything I can do..."

In some ways, it felt good to have two people outside the team who knew about what they'd been doing. In others, it seemed kind of pointless. Uehara and Dojima couldn't really do anything to help. Souji probably knew that too, but - being Souji - he still gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Uehara-san."

* * *

**December 20th, 2011**

_Stay home tonight_, Souji had told them after school. _Get ready for tomorrow_. He hadn't needed to say what for, and Kanji hadn't been able to think of much else since.

He'd tried sewing, cleaning the store, even watching dumb TV game shows, but his heart hadn't been in any of it. He wondered what the others were doing tonight to take their minds off Adachi and the thought of fighting him. Chie had mentioned a kung-fu movie marathon that she'd somehow roped both Yosuke and Ted into. Yukiko and Rise would probably be working at the inn and the shop. Souji – Kanji had no idea what Souji would be doing, how a leader prepared himself, but he strongly suspected it had something to do with Naoto. Not wanting to think about that, he threw himself back into attempting to clean the store, ignoring his mother's protests that _the place looks just fine, Kanji-chan_, and went outside to clear the front steps of snow for the third time that day.

As usual, the streets were clogged thick with fog. His glasses would've cut through it, but by now he rarely wore them outside the TV. Sometimes you just didn't _want_ to see through the fog, not when it all that offered was a clear view of people cowering in the streets. The rest of the team seemed to be leaning the same way, or at least nobody had bothered to put their glasses on when they'd left Junes last night, even though it'd been too murky to see more than a few paces ahead. Rise had left hers off all the way back to the shopping district, but then he supposed she didn't need them. Rise, Kanji thought, was a prime example of why seeing through the fog wasn't much of a blessing at all.

Maybe he'd text her later tonight. Check she was doing okay. He was debating contacting Naoto too, and might've spent a long time doing so if the small figure approaching through the fog hadn't settled the issue.

Naoto walked up to the steps and looked up at him, the difference in height more pronounced than ever. "Kanji-kun."

"Oh. Uh, hey. What're you doing here?" Kanji asked – which probably wasn't the _politest_ way he could've started the conversation.

Naoto didn't seem to care, though. "I was passing nearby and wanted to check you were prepared," she said. "Mentally and physically."

She'd bothered to come check on him? He rubbed the back of his head with his free hand, then propped the broom up against the shop wall. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good."

"Good."

The silence after that was tangible, the kind that he felt he had to fill up with _something_ – and maybe it was that need that lent him a shot of bravery. "You, uh...wanna hang out?" he asked. "Take our minds offa it. I –" But Naoto's eyes seemed to have widened a fraction, so he quickly added, "Rise's probably free too."

Naoto opened her mouth slightly, then broke eye contact. Her hand moved to the brim of her cap – all of which, in Naoto-speak, he knew as an impending refusal. "I have to be at Souji-senpai's house in half an hour," she said, quiet and rapid. "Finalizing our plans."

Bravery gave way to bitter stubbornness; something Kanji distantly registered as a bad sign. "So I'll go too. Maybe I can help."

She shook her head. "That won't be necessary. You'd be better off preparing for tomorrow. You aren't—"

At his sides, he felt his fists clench. "Aren't smart enough?" he broke in.

Naoto's gaze snapped back to him – but where he'd expected a flash of indignation, he saw only hurt, stunned confusion. "That _isn't_ what I said. You have your talents, as I have mine and Senpai has his." She gestured to herself with one hand, the other gripping her shoulder in a pose that looked horribly defensive, as if Kanji's words had badly stung. "I'm - inexperienced in battle compared to the rest of you, but strategizing is-"

"Something the rest of us ain't good enough to do, thass what you're sayin'." Naoto could rationalize till the end of time, but it'd never change what she was actually saying – what she probably said to _Souji_, too, whenever they got together without the rest of the team. The _smart_ ones together. "What's so special about fussing over that crap anyway?"

Naoto stared up at him in awful, heavy silence. "I don't understand," she said, thickly. "Senpai and I have worked together before. Why are you – Kanji, this is hardly the time for petty disagreements."

Later on, he'd realize she was right (as usual) and that he'd been making a big deal out of stuff that wasn't his business. But right now – worried about tomorrow, still stung by the rejection, and most of all feeling completely _useless_ – Kanji couldn't rein in his temper. "Whatever. You – you said I was stupid before. Guess you meant it," he muttered.

"I _didn't_. You simply don't..." She gave a single, sharp shake of her head, already turning away. "I have to go. Good night."

Kanji turned away too, and grabbed the broom from its place by the shop wall. He didn't bother to watch her leave.

* * *

**December 21st, 2011**

The inside of Mayumi Yamano's TV-world apartment looked much the same as before: torn faceless posters lining the walls, the noose dangling from the ceiling, and, on the far side of the room, the familiar red and black of the portal to Adachi's Inaba. Thanks to the fog and the resulting lack of customers, getting in and out of the Junes TV without being noticed was a lot easier than it used to be – but jumping through this portal was, for Kanji, proving a lot harder.

Chie was bouncing from foot to foot, staring at the swirling, rippling surface. "So...are we ready?"

"Of course!" Yosuke replied, but his grin was a split-second late and too taut at the edges.

"We should be cautious," Naoto said. "We don't know exactly where the portal leads."

Yosuke gave a stiff shrug, still with that same grin. "It goes to Adachi. Good enough for me."

Deep down, Kanji doubted any of them really wanted to do this. Sure, he wanted to smack Adachi into the middle of next _year_, had been itching for the opportunity all the way through Souji's endless rounds of training - but Adachi as he was now wasn't just Adachi anymore, and facing him down with Personas that weren't at full strength or, in Senpai's case, couldn't be called at all...saying it'd be tough was an understatement.

It still wasn't fair. It wouldn't _ever_ be fair. But what choice did they have?

Kanji punched a fist into his palm. "Yeah. Let's roll."

With a quick, tight nod at them all, Souji stepped forward, sword held ready, and – without a moment's hesitation - stepped into the portal. The team quickly followed, one by one.

Fortunately, and despite Naoto's concerns, they spilled out of the portal by the ruined Moel garage, so they at least had some way of getting their bearings. What was left of the shopping district stretched out ahead of them, and there were more fuzzy black angles against the skyline; as if Adachi's twisted Inaba had expanded while they'd been gone, sprouted more wrecked buildings and half-familiar piles of debris. The fact that Kanji could see them meant the fog here had lifted even more, probably because it all seemed to be rolling into the real Inaba instead.

"I can't tell where Adachi is." Himiko was already at Rise's back, visor held over her face. "Everything here's so _loud_."

"So we keep looking," Souji said grimly. "We'll check the shopping district first."

They started walking. Though Kanji had expected Shadows, like last time, the only sound was that of their footsteps, and even that sounded muffled. He glanced at Naoto, who was checking her revolver as they walked - opening the chamber and counting the bullets, though they'd never really helped against Shadows. Maybe they'd work against Adachi. It was a grisly thought, but one Kanji had to keep in mind – because when they found the bastard, who said he'd just give up and come quietly? It might've helped to ask Naoto what she thought would happen, except she and Kanji hadn't spoken since last night. Hadn't even acknowledged each other when the team had met by the school gate, ready to head to Junes. If there was ever a good time to pick a fight with someone you cared about, it _wasn't_ the day before you tried facing down a crazy Shadow-controlling murderer.

Speaking of which, how come they hadn't found any? There were always Shadows in the other sub-worlds, even after the team had fought whoever's other self was in charge. Why weren't there any here? Was Adachi pulling a Namatame and drawing them all somewhere else?

The team soon reached Aiya. The shop was little more than a pile of rubble, a few tacky decorations visible among the wooden debris, junk Otsu probably picked up cheap in Okina – and somehow _that_ was what made Kanji's stomach twist in on itself. The Tatsuhime shrine was unreachable, its entrance blocked by sharp black branches. Marukyu Tofu was at least still standing, though he couldn't bear to look through the door. He kept his eyes on Rise instead, who focused her own firmly on the ground - yet he couldn't resist glancing inside the textiles shop as they passed. Its front was cracked clean open, and the inside was coated in the same black filth he'd seen in Daidara's. His stomach clenched again at the sight, and he turned his head on reflex and caught Naoto's eye for the first time that day.

"It isn't real, Kanji-kun." Yukiko was suddenly at his side, one hand on his forearm. "You know that."

And sure, of course he did, he'd walked through the damn district this morning to get to school, but knowing that didn't help. Far worse was the fact that Adachi _wanted_ Inaba to be this way, that this might actually happen if the team couldn't- -

"Yeah. Course." Kanji stared straight ahead, if only to end the conversation – then noticed the tall building on the horizon, looming ahead of them in the faint fog. It'd seemed to appear so suddenly - and so much in the wrong place - that it took him a few moments to recognize it as Inaba Municipal Hospital. Thing was, it wasn't supposed to _be _here. Going by the real Inaba's layout, they should've been approaching the old residential district, all narrow roads and low-roofed houses.

Yosuke let out a low whistle. "Whoa. Adachi's geography is _majorly_ screwed up."

"I don't know...it might be here for a reason." Souji glanced over his shoulder. "Rise?"

"There's way too much power radiating from it..." Rise said, voice barely a whisper. "It – it's hard to hear anything else." The knuckles on her clasped hands had turned porcelain white. "And I can sense – two presences inside."

Chie arched her eyebrows. "Two?"

"Yeah. I-I think one of them's Adachi, though I'm not positive. The other...it sounds like a whole bunch of different Shadows merged together."

"Like with Namatame?" Souji asked. "When he drew the Shadows to him?"

Rise shook her head, visor moving with the motion. "Different. I could still hear him underneath. This one...all I can sense are Shadows."

"Yeah, _that_ sounds just great," muttered Yosuke. "So what do we do?"

Souji stared at the building a moment, as if weighing his options, then turned back to the group. "Chie, Yosuke, Yukiko – stay out here with Rise." He tipped his head toward the doors of the hospital lobby – glass, like the real thing, but smeared with something dark and slick. "Kanji, Naoto, Ted, you're with me."

Neither Chie nor Yosuke seemed pleased with that idea, but it was Yukiko, brow furrowed and expression anxious, who spoke up. "Shouldn't we all go together?"

"If something happens in there, I don't want all eight of us caught up in it at once - especially not in an enclosed environment. You guys will be our backup while we scout for Adachi." He smiled at her, though it looked tight and forced. "Don't worry, I've got a Goho-M. We'll portal out before we get too far up."

"Teddie had trouble creating a portal last time," Rise pointed out. "Do you think the Goho-M's gonna work?"

"One way to find out." Souji tilted back his head, gaze fixed on the top floors of the hospital. "Either way, we need to check this place out. Come on, guys." He started walking toward the hospital entrance, and Kanji, Naoto and Ted all quickly followed.

Despite the goo covering the glass, the lobby doors still slowly slid open. It was hard to make out much of anything inside at first, partly because of the stuff staining the doors and windows, but mostly because the overhead strip lighting didn't seem to be working. Everything was cast in dim red light instead, the same way everything in Naoto's base had looked a weird shade of green, except this was somehow worse. It felt foreboding – especially as Kanji's eyes adjusted, and he noticed the figures sitting stiff and motionless on the lobby chairs. Plastic mannequins, he quickly realized, not Shadows, but knowing that only made them _more_ creepy. The one nearest to him was posed with its elbows on its knees and its head in its fingerless hands. Dark liquid trickled down its blank face and pooling on the floor below; same consistency as the stuff on the windows. He hadn't been able to tell what it was before, but the thick, metallic smell clogging the air was a gruesome clue.

"Better skip the elevators." Souji was already by the lobby's main reception, eyeing the bloody mannequin propped behind the desk. "We'll have to find the stairs."

"So we look for fire exit signs," Kanji said. For some reason, Souji raised his eyebrows at that. "What?"

Souji shrugged. "I just hadn't thought of doing that. It's a really good idea."

And something about that _really_ pissed Kanji off. Like big dumb Tatsumi needed to be patted on the back for an oh-so-rare sensible suggestion. He might've expected that kind of answer from Naoto, given she often showed about as much tact as he did, yesterday evening included - but not from Souji. Senpai never acted that way. Or at least, he didn't used to.

Kanji felt his jaw clench, the muscles working under his skin. "Yeah. Sure."

The exit signs were hard to spot at first, half-hidden under the blood stains on the walls and coloured a shade of green that didn't show up well in the red light, but after being shown the first one Ted was able to pick out the rest pretty quickly. He seemed to have less trouble with the lack of light than the rest of the team, who had to pick their way through the corridors around the mannequins, upturned chairs, and pools of blood and Shadow . The unnerving part was, they didn't find any Shadows, though they tried to check inside every room they passed. Each looked as filthy and cluttered as the corridors, but some were blocked off with yellow police tape, like you saw in cop movies. Kanji figured it was just a stupid joke the first time – as if _tape_ would ever stop anyone - then smacked into an invisible wall when he tried to enter the room. Couldn't see anything blocking the way. It was like someone had covered the doorway with a pane of spotless glass, except his shield didn't even make a dent.

"He's directing us," Souji muttered. He lifted his head and spoke to the empty air. "Rise, you were right. We haven't found any Shadows on the ground floor. They must all be drawn to that presence you sensed."

_"Yeah. I can sense Adachi, too, higher up the building...but it's really hard to hear anything over the other one. Be careful, okay?"_

At that, Naoto stopped walking, and turned around to face Ted. Though still fairly neutral, her expression was tinged with a wary curiosity. "Teddie, do you feel the same draw? The urge to follow those other Shadows?"

Ted blinked at her. "Huh?"

Beside her, Souji winced. "_Naoto_."

"Senpai, I – it's a valid question," Naoto protested, but added, "I mean no offence, Teddie. We must only be certain you aren't being influenced by whatever is drawing the Shadows."

"Ohhh." Ted's dawn of understanding sounded accepting enough, though Kanji caught a flicker across his expression; something close to guilt, or maybe resignation. He pressed a paw to his temple – just like Senpai sometimes did in thought – then gave a shrug. "I think I'm okay. I didn't feel anything like that when we fought Namatame either." Cringing slightly, he glanced at Souji. "Except for – you know."

Kanji clapped a hand against Ted's back. Man, it was _fuzzy_. "You weren't alone there, dude."

Naoto looked away, her neutral expression shifting to a small, troubled frown.

"No, he wasn't," Souji said – softer than expected, maybe even gentle, and Kanji had the strangely uneasy feeling that Ted wasn't the only one he was talking to. He turned away and continued walking, eyes scanning the corridor for more fire exit signs. "Come on. Let's keep going."

The emergency exit was around the next corner, but once inside the stairwell they could only climb three flights. The steps to the fourth floor were blocked off with the same police tape as before, and the same invisible wall. Two mannequins sat on the steps; the police tape wound tightly around their necks.

Kanji had one hand on the stairwell door when Souji grabbed his arm. "Remember, Adachi's pushing us this way," he said. "Rise. Can you sense anything on the third floor?"

Again, Rise answered inside their heads, but this time it was garbled - like static on a badly tuned TV. _"Sen...something in th...erful, please ke..."_

"Interference," Naoto said. "We know that this place compromises our Personas. They may not be able to hear Himiko in full – or, equally, she may not be able to transmit clearly."

Dammit. Last thing they needed was to walk out there blind. Adachi must _want_ them to explore this floor, meaning there had to be something bad waiting for them. But if they had no choice but to follow his route, why not get it over with? "We headin' out?" Kanji asked, and after Souji's nod of permission, pushed open the door. It led directly onto a long corridor, identical to the one outside Nanako's room and Dojima's room and probably most rooms in the whole damn hospital. Every floor of that place looked more or less the same. Aside from the blood and black slime on the walls and the occasional weirdly-posed dummy – all of which Kanji was getting disturbingly used to - the same was probably true here.

"Hang a left," Souji said. "There's got to be more than one set of stairs in here."

If this _had_ been the real hospital, the corridors would've been like a maze – but there was only one route through, all alternatives blocked off with invisible barriers. The team turned corner after corner, searching for new exit signs and checking each room they passed. Some contained mannequins lying on bloodied hospital beds or slumped in plastic chairs, but others were strangely empty. Like Adachi's mind hadn't bothered to _finish_ the hospital, and this was just window-dressing as he led them nearer to him. Maybe all those other areas they couldn't reach were empty too. Either way, it seemed like he _wanted_ to fight, or at least wanted the team to face him in person - or maybe, Kanji thought, all that was just wishful thinking – the type of thing a real man would do, not some gutless bastard - and all Adachi was really doing was leading them right into a trap.

Midway along another nondescript corridor, Souji stopped. "You hear that?"

Caught up in thought, Kanji hadn't noticed anything other than their footsteps – but now, straining his ears, he could hear a strange sound low in the background. A hum, maybe, though so deep it verged on a growl.

"I can't just hear it, Sensei, I can _feel_ it," Teddie said, with a shiver that passed visibly over his entire suit. "But I can't tell what it is."

"Then I guess we'll find—"

Floors above them, something roared with energy.

No, not roared – _exploded_. The sound of masonry smashing, the building creaking – and seconds later, on top of it all, Rise's panicked, distorted voice. _"Senpai! ...Reaper Shadow heading dow...hit, watch out above you!"_

The last four words were all that mattered. "Turn back!" Souji yelled, and began running in the same direction they'd come from. They made as far as the previous corner when the second roar came, and the corridor ceiling burst open.

Fragments and dust showered down. Ted was thrown by the impact, bouncing off the floor and tumbling past Souji – who'd evoked on reflex, a hazy, flickering Izanagi tearing into the air behind him and immediately taking a full-on blast of energy from the gap in the ceiling. A Shadow plunged through: tall, dark, and draped in chains that clanked as it leveled one of its two guns at Kanji.

He leapt back, expecting another energy blast. Instead, a wall of fire swept across the corridor, cutting him off from Souji and Ted. Through the flames, he could see Senpai was on his knees, and that Teddie had evoked too, his new Persona Kamui looking surprisingly solid. Ice shards shot out from its claws – and were immediately swallowed by a second Agidyne from the Reaper Shadow, this one blasting Kamui straight into Izanagi.

Kanji willed his card into his hand, and crushed it. "_Take-Mikazuchi!"_

His Persona burst into being as commanded, though his connection with Kanji felt flimsy, like a string split into thin threads. Kanji clapped his hands, Take-Mikazuchi mimicking the motion, and a Ziodyne crashed down into the Reaper - actually staggering it, with a follow-up slash from Sukuna-Hikona's sword almost knocking the gun out of its right hand. The response – almost instantaneous – was a spear of ice that slammed into Sukuna-Hikona and nearly reduced the flickering Persona to static. Behind him, Kanji heard Naoto yelp with pain but didn't dare turn around. What the hell _was_ this thing?

Focused on the Shadow, he never saw Teddie behind the flames, but he heard his frantic warning. "Kanji! Watch out! It's going to—"

Wind blasted from the Reaper's guns. Kanji was vaguely aware of being thrown backwards, tumbling down the corridor, and smashing into a wall - the impact enough to knock what breath he had left out of his chest.

Another blast, closer than it should've been, and the smell of burning plastic. Seconds later, Naoto was at his side and trying to pull him onto his feet. "Get up!"

Kanji pushed himself up on both hands and launched into a staggering run. The Reaper followed. Naoto was a few steps ahead, gun drawn, but didn't stop to shoot. Instead, she darted around the next corner – then slammed to a halt in front of the police tape blocking the way. Dammit, he'd forgotten those fricking barriers! With nowhere else to go, he grabbed Naoto's arm and hauled her into the nearest room. They were barely through the door when the corridor wall exploded.

Debris flew into the room, concrete and wood and dust, clogging his lungs – dammit, how powerful were those guns? – and flinging blood and slime against the remaining walls and across the scattered hospital beds. There was this creaking sound, like they'd heard earlier but louder, as if the building were shifting; hairline cracks now visible on the floor and ceiling.

"Naoto!" he yelled. "We gotta go, this place is gonna—"

The Reaper burst into the room, left gun held above its head, the barrel glowing brilliant white.

Oh, _shit_.

If he knew that light, Naoto knew it better. "Megidola! _Move_!"

Kanji threw himself sideways, tumbling over one of the blood-stained beds, and screwed his eyes shut.

Even behind his eyelids, the light was searing. The sound was worse. A roar of energy louder than any thunder, enough to set his ears ringing – only it _kept_ _going_, just as the room kept shaking around him. The light gone, he opened his eyes just in time to see the faint cracks beneath him turn into jagged lines. There was one final blast – the Reaper, firing a shot where Naoto had been standing only a moment before – and the floor split open. Kanji tried to roll aside, but the tiles beneath him were already shattering, pieces tumbling through the widening gap. As he swung one arm uselessly, reaching for Naoto over three meters away, the rest of the floor crumbled completely.

The fall seemed to take an age; his stomach lurching, limbs flailing, beds and mannequins and debris plunging with him level after level as the concrete rubble smashed through each floor of the building. He'd blindly latched onto one of the falling beds, as if that'd somehow help, and found himself practically riding it downward.

But it wasn't the bed that broke his fall. A second before impact, Kanji felt a familiar wave of energy pulse up from below him. It was enough to slow his fall, though not to stop the bed from collapsing inward on impact. Eyes still screwed shut, he heard the metal buckle – felt pain burst through his left leg just as the air rushed out of his chest - and then all he could breathe was thick, choking dust. Several long seconds passed before it settled and he was able to gulp a few deep breaths.

Breathing _hurt_ – not just his body, though he felt like he'd bruised every part of him on the way down, but his damn _leg_. Must be the motion, meaning he'd hurt it bad. It was a few minutes before he could bring himself to crack open his eyes, prop himself up on his elbows, and inspect the damage. He'd kept hold of the bed frame all the way down, and along with the weird energy wave it'd mostly broken his fall. It hadn't stopped the debris that'd fallen through _after_ him. Looking at the lumps of masonry next to his leg on the bed, he figured one of them had scored a direct hit.

Okay. So his leg was hosed. He'd earned a _lot _of new bruises. In an effort to keep his head straight, Kanji kept the checklist going, and next were his glasses – which he'd dimly noticed falling off at the last minute. Glancing sideways, he spotted them on the floor, a half-metre from the bed.

Slowly, carefully, he sat up, pushed himself off the mattress - cursing under his breath with each movement – and eased himself onto the ground. It felt dirtier than the man-made hospital flooring, and a little softer too – which might explain why his glasses were mostly intact. The frames looked a slightly bent and one of the lenses was scuffed, but he'd be able to see. The items in his pockets had come off worse. The can of Orange Smash tucked inside his coat seemed okay, but the gel he'd picked up at Shiroku had been squeezed out of its tube, and the vial of medicine had cracked open and soaked into the lining of his side pocket. Crap, it'd take a week of cleaning to get that out, stuff smelt fricking terrible and tasted even—

Wait. Where was Naoto?

The whole floor had collapsed from under them, she had to have fallen too – so where was she? "Yo, Naoto!"

No answer.

His stomach seemed to do a sudden, wrenching back-flip. Of _course_ she was fine, this was Naoto, she was always- "N-Naoto, dammit! You there?"

There was a long pause, long enough to leave him on the verge of calling out again, before he heard footsteps moving across the floor. Moments later, Naoto emerged from the dim murkiness to his right.

"_Please_ stop shouting," she said, in a low but urgent voice. "The louder you are, the easier it will be for that Shadow to find us again."

And maybe she was right – but his leg hurt like hell, he swore every part of him was bruised, and his temper wasn't doing much better. "You weren't answering! Th'hell was I meant to—" The rest dissolved into a hiss. He'd accidentally shifted in place mid-rant, sending pain spiraling up his injured leg.

Naoto moved closer. "Kanji-kun? What's wrong?"

The stubborn, 'man's man' part of him debated lying, but shit, she wasn't stupid. She'd figure out what'd happened as soon as he tried to stand. "My -my leg," he managed. "Left one. W-When I fell, it – I-I dunno. Somethin's wrong with it."

"Is the pain severe?" Her voice was almost gentle. It threw him more than he wanted to admit.

"N-No – I mean – ah, crap." Hell, who was he kidding? "It's - pretty bad."

Naoto's eyes narrowed at that. They glanced away a moment later, and he heard fabric rustle as she rifled through her pockets. A moment later she pulled out a small thin object, though it wasn't till she flicked it open and dim light caught on the blade that he realized it was a penknife. A penknife which was now moving down to his injured leg.

"Hey, no amputations, yeah?" he joked, before realizing she was slicing through the cloth of his pants - which was _seriously_ not cool. "Aw, c'mon, don't ruin 'em!"

"Your leg's badly swollen," she said, like he couldn't _tell_ that already. The knife worked its way down from his knee to his ankle, creating a flap in an otherwise perfectly good pair of pants. "No point in constricting it."

Kanji stared down at his leg. After Naoto's impromptu re-tailoring, he could see that even in the red light the skin looked shiny, like it was stretched too tight over his muscles and bones. "You – you think it's broken?"

"There are no obvious or compound breaks, but there may still be a fracture." More rustling, and Naoto held out her hand. "Here." She was holding a small plastic vial: one of the medicine containers they'd picked up at Shiroku. Helped if you were a little tired or scraped up, but with how bad his fricking leg hurt...

He shook his head. "I-I dunno if that'll work on this, man."

"Try it anyway."

Still seemed pointless, but to hell with it, it wasn't like it would hurt so he uncapped the vial, closed his eyes, and tipped the bitter liquid down his throat. Warmth spread from his head to his fingers and toes, and though the throbbing in his leg dimmed for only a second, his other scratches and bruises hurt a little less.

He opened his eyes to find Naoto staring at him, brow furrowed. From the collection of objects beside her – five or six bullets, her penknife, a set of keys, and a handful of what looked like Soul Drops – he guessed she'd been searching her pockets for something better. "Do you have any other healing items?"

He shook his head. "Just a soda. Broke the good stuff in the fall." That and maybe his leg too. Still, given the distance he'd probably gotten off lightly. He squinted at the hole in the ceiling, trying to see back up to the third floor, but the light was too bad to make out anything higher than two levels up. No sign of the Shadow, in any case. Had it gone after Souji and Teddie? "H-How far away d'you think Senpai and Ted are?" he asked.

Naoto paused. It went on for a strangely long time. "I don't know. I can't -" Another pause, though this lasted only a moment. "How far did we fall?"

Kanji figured someone so observant should already know the answer, but then the fall had been pretty chaotic. He'd only been able to count in retrospect, by remembering the number of levels they'd plunged through. "Hell, every time we hit a floor it crumbled. Think we went through – five, maybe six."

"There shouldn't have _been_ that many. We started on the third floor."

...Good point. He hadn't really considered it before, but it would explain the even dimmer light here. Kanji looked around, taking in the space where they'd landed. It was half-filled with crap from the upper levels - crumbled masonry, ruined beds, crushed mannequins - but there was dirt in place of the hard floors of the hospital, and from what he could make out in the gloom, the corridors had been replaced by narrow tunnels. "Yeah. Guess we're underground, then."

"Which means we need to find a route back up. Or a place to take shelter, assuming the others are able to come to our aid." She let out a long breath. "...Though right now that may be an unreasonable assumption."

An unreasonable idea, too. Kanji couldn't even stand; how was he supposed to go searching for anything? The thought of being left alone down here – unable to move, waiting for a Shadow to come finish him off - scared him shitless, but there was no sense in both of them getting themselves killed. Naoto was sensible. She'd get it.

He swallowed, trying to find his voice. "Naoto – I don't think I can move, an' you can't carry me."

The answer started before he'd finished the sentence. "I'm not leaving you."

"S'the only thing you _can_ do! You gotta fetch help."

"Don't be ridiculous," Naoto muttered. She slipped one arm underneath his and tried to haul him up, but all the effort did was jolt him, a bolt of pain shooting up his leg in response.

He tried to pull away. "Whoa, whoa! I already said y'can't carry me!"

"I have no intention of doing so." She still hadn't let go, and she tugged at him again. "But I can support you. You are going to walk with me, Kanji-kun, and we are going to search for a way out."

And it sounded so _adamant_, Kanji could almost believe her. In reality, sticking together just made them a bigger, slower target – but Naoto made it sound like the only option. For her, maybe it was.

...No. Stupid thought. She probably just thought that she'd be equally defenceless on her own, what with Sukuna-Hikona being pretty useless in one-on-one combat. Except, he realized, that was uncharitable and untrue; the little guy had bailed Kanji out before and could punch well above his weight. So could Naoto. She was staying out of choice.

"Th-Thanks," he said, not quite able to look at her. With his teeth clenched, one hand on the rubble, and one arm round Naoto's shoulders, he was able to push himself upright.

Their steps were unsteady, at first. Doubting Naoto was able to bear much of his weight and doubting even more that she'd let him know that, Kanji was unwilling to lean on her too heavily. The height difference didn't help their balance, either, and every step he took brought a fresh burst of pain – but slowly, laboriously, they stumbled across the room and into the nearest tunnel. The ceiling there was low and the walls were almost completely obscured by mingled blood and black slime, making it even more difficult to see. Both of them stayed quiet, listening closely for any sounds of Shadows. At least there didn't seem to be any barriers down here; maybe Adachi's ability to make them only stretched so far, or maybe he figured Kanji and Naoto were as good as dead anyway. Maybe he just didn't care, provided he got to face Senpai. In the end, Souji was always going to be the most important.

It hit Kanji then, as they were hobbling in silence, that what with the Shadow, the fall, and his leg, he'd completely forgotten that he and Naoto had been trying to ignore each other. Seemed like she had, too, or at least she hadn't been pissed off enough to leave him sprawled on a pile of debris. Part of him still wished she _had_, that she'd just find a way out before that Shadow came down to finish the job – but the rest was profoundly, guiltily grateful that she'd stayed behind.

He glanced down at her, though all he could see was the top of her cap. "Doin' okay?" he asked.

"Fine," she answered, through what sounded like gritted teeth. Stubborn even by Naoto standards.

Kanji had his fair share of stubbornness too. It got him through what felt like an hour of wrenching pain – though it was probably more like ten minutes – before he finally _needed_ to rest, or risk dropping and taking Naoto with him.

"Hurts," he muttered. "G-Gotta stop for a bit, yeah?"

Naoto nodded below him, and between the two of them, they clumsily lowered him to the ground. They'd stopped in the middle of a tunnel, so he figured she wouldn't let him wait here long – but he just needed a little bit, some time to steel himself for another go. Kanji scrubbed at his face, trying to wipe away the sweat, then stopped. His hand smelled like blood. Crap, had he hurt _that_ too?

But he would've noticed it before, back on the floor right after the fall – and unless it'd been a deep wound, the medicine would've taken care of it along with his other minor cuts and scratches. He definitely hadn't touched any of the walls, and when he'd pushed himself up in the first room the ground had felt dry. After that, he hadn't really done _anything_ with that hand, just kept it gripping Naoto's shoulder while she tried to haul—

Kanji paused. "Naoto. C'mere."

Naoto hesitated a moment, then knelt down beside him. "Is something—" she started, then jolted back when he cupped his hand against the left side of her head. "Wh-What are you doing?"

He drew back his hand and peered at it. In the red light, he could see a faint smear across his palm. "You're fricking _bleeding_, dumbass!"

"Yes, I know," she said, in a tone just short of an exasperated sigh. "The cut isn't severe. I'll be fine."

"You never said you were hurt!"

"As I said, it's a minor injury. Nothing as disabling as a potential leg fracture." Still kneeling, she straightened and adjusted her cap with one hand, tilting it a little as if to avoid the injured side of her head. "The amount of blood from a head wound is often a poor indicator of its severity."

"Cracking your head ain't _minor_, 'specially if you were out cold."

That, if nothing else, caught Naoto's attention. She tipped her head slightly, frowning in what now looked more like curiosity than frustration. "What makes you think I was unconscious?"

"Pretty damn obvious," he muttered, thought to be honest, it was only true in retrospect. "Thass why you couldn't remember how far we fell."

It was hard to tell in the light, but he swore Naoto smiled, just slightly. "I was unaware of your powers of deduction."

Torn between feeling proud he'd impressed her and being pissed that he had, Kanji settled for a dull glare at the floor instead. "I ain't a total idiot," he muttered.

"I know," Naoto said, and left it at that. "I'm sure the pain is severe – but could you try to contact Rise? I can't hear her."

Kanji grit his teeth, trying to focus past the white-hot throbbing in his leg. "Yo, Rise?"

_"Kanji-kun! Th—fighting out—Chie-sen—"_

After that, nothing. "Dammit...I lost her," he told Naoto. "She - she said something about a fight, and Chie-senpai."

"The Reaper. It must be attacking them." Naoto's expression had turned deeply troubled. "I – don't remember what happened before the fall," she admitted. "Did Souji-senpai and Teddie escape?"

"Didn't see...but they must've. Why?"

"If that same Shadow is attacking Rise and the other senpai, then either Souji-senpai and Teddie were able to evade it, or..." Naoto drew a sharp breath.

Kanji shook his head. "Don't think like that. Senpai's fine."

"Of course," she said, voice low. A few minutes of silence later, she scooted toward him, slipped her arm under his again, and helped him up.

* * *

They'd continued the same pattern – searching, then resting, then searching again - though for exactly how long, Kanji couldn't be certain. Twenty minutes, maybe. He only knew that they'd stopped three more times, that the periods of walking had decreased between each one, and that they still hadn't found a way out. Hadn't even passed any other open spaces; aside from where they'd landed, this whole floor seemed to be endless, snaking tunnels. They'd been searching for stairs, but who knew if there _were_ any? They'd only ended up here because of the floors collapsing, and it looked nothing like the hospital above. The one thing they had in common was monotony: if the corridors up there had looked similar, these tunnels were nearly identical.

"...So, which way?" he asked. He'd let Naoto take the lead, right from where they'd landed, but they'd been standing at this particular junction for at least thirty seconds.

She didn't respond. She seemed to be getting tired, or at least they were moving more slowly. No surprise after half-dragging a big lug like him around. But she'd also started hesitating at each junction, like she wasn't sure where to go – which she probably wasn't, to be fair, but it was still slightly unnerving. Especially since the pause stretched out longer each time.

"Yo, Naoto?"

"Sorry. Turn left."

They'd done that the last five junctions. The tunnels were curved, though, not like the perpendicular corridors of the hospital, so maybe that was okay and they were heading in the correct direction. Kanji kept this hope up as they staggered the full length of the tunnel, until it opened out onto a large, open room – a room missing most of its ceiling, and scattered with concrete, mannequins, and broken beds.

Shit. They'd come full circle.

"Dammit...we gotta stop! We don't know where we're going." He pushed away from her, steadied himself on a nearby pile of debris, and lowered himself to the ground. The motion aggravated his leg further, leaving him half-sprawled against the rubble and breathing hard.

Naoto blinked down at him."What do you mean?"

"Man, look around! This is where we started!"

"I – it – " She glanced around the room as if seeing it for the first time, until her eyes widened in recognition – then shook her head, clutching at it a split-second later. "I-I must've made a mistake. We should try again."

"I – I can't, alright?" Kanji managed through clenched teeth. He'd been _counting _on Naoto to lead them out. "I'm tired, my leg frickin' hurts, we don't have a Dia between us and—"

"Do you have any healing items?" Naoto cut in.

His heart sank. "…No. Broke what I had in the fall. Told you that earlier."

"Of course you did. R-Remiss of me. I apologize." The same formal crap as usual, except she stumbled over the words like they didn't fit in her mouth.

...When he'd jumped in the TV and promptly gotten his ass kicked by Adachi's Persona, she'd been worried he had a concussion.

He squinted in the light, trying to make out her expression. "Naoto. Something ain't right. How bad did you hit your head?"

It was the wrong thing to say, or maybe just the wrong way to say it. Naoto swept her hand through the air, sharp and dismissive. "Kanji, we don't have _time_ for this! We need to find a way back up. The others – Rise and the senpai may be under attack, and we have no idea what happened to Souji-senpai and Teddie!"

Like he didn't know all that, _and_ feel like a total waste of time for not being able to help. But he was in no position to rescue anyone – and Naoto, he was starting to suspect, might be in equal trouble. "I _know_. But I'm going nowhere right now and I'm too heavy for you t'carry. Now siddown."

Naoto held on to her glare for several seconds before it finally faltered. "You're - if, if this is for my benefit-"

"Just – take a rest, okay?" he coaxed. "No point in you draggin' my lame ass around if we don't know where we're going." He paused. "And let me look at your head."

Maybe Naoto knew there was something up too, because the anger and frustration seemed to ebb out of her as he spoke. She carefully sat down beside him and pulled off her cap. "...Very well."

It was difficult to see in the low light, but he quickly realized there wasn't really a deep cut, but instead a vicious scrape a short way above her ear and what looked like a hell of a lump forming. Her hair was slightly matted with dry blood, but when he cupped his hand against her head again, it came away free of fresh smears.

What else had she done when she thought he'd had a concussion? Something about his eyes? Checking the pupils were the same, something like that – but it'd be too dark here to tell. "Well, you ain't bleeding anymore," he told her. "How'd you feel?"

"Tired. Sick," she admitted. "I...don't think I'm doing well."

Nausea and confusion. She'd mentioned those, too. At a loss for anything else, Kanji reached inside his coat and pulled out the slightly dinged Orange Smash. "Here. Might help t'drink something."

Naoto took the can, but didn't open it. She did, however, lean in slightly closer against his side. It might've freaked him out any other time, but he found that, right now, none of that crap seemed to matter. He slipped his arm around her shoulders and tried to support her against the rubble – wanting and wishing he could do something _more_, something that would keep her safe. Some hope, when he hadn't even taken care of himself.

But it was okay. They'd just rest a little bit. Figure out what to do next. Kanji told himself this and tried to believe it – but with him half-lame and Naoto not all there, how the hell were they supposed to get anywhere? The brawn was crippled and the brains couldn't think straight, he realized, with a humorless, airless laugh.

"When we start again," she said. "You have to-I, I can't remember. Direction."

"Thass why we were goin' in circles, huh?" he said, gently.

"Can't remember," Naoto repeated. "I-I'm sorry."

Kanji pulled her slightly closer, squeezing her shoulders; his gaze fixed on the gap in the ceiling and the darkness of the upper levels. "I know. S'okay."


	39. Interlude 11

_(These 'interludes' have been showing up every other chapter, but I'll continue calling them that. Also: quick thank you to all anonymous/unregistered reviewers - I can't answer you directly on here, but I appreciate your feedback.)  
_

_Story so far: Trying to escape a Reaper, Kanji and Naoto took a multi-floor fall that ended in a fractured leg, a major concussion, and a consequent inability to find their way out._

_In this part: Electrifying plans and not-so-well-kept secrets.  
_

* * *

She couldn't remember the fall. She barely recalled the Reaper. For Naoto – whose mastery of detail was the essence of her abilities – this was deeply unsettling. So was everything else.

The room was cold and dusty, and in the darkness the vague outlines of rubble took on the shapes of Shadows. She knew it was the concussion at work, same as the ringing in her ears, the intense pressure in her head, her inability to hold onto her thoughts – yet that was no consolation. The fog might be receding from the television world, but Naoto felt swallowed by it.

"So. Any ideas?"

She blinked. Kanji, of course. He'd said – _something_, a short while ago. Something she should have answered. "I - I'm sorry. Ideas about what?"

"What we do next." He shifted beside her with a hiss of pain. His arm was still around her back; Naoto hadn't thought to move away. "How to get out of here, call for help, whatever. I've been listening for Rise...but she ain't saying anything." He chuckled, though it sounded halfhearted and breathless. "First time in her life, right?"

How would they get out of here? Naoto tried to focus, to push past the dizziness, the pain in her head, the swirling nausea in her stomach and throat, but her concentration shattered each time. The tiredness was bone deep, and if she just let her eyes drift shut...

No. It was vital she stay awake. She remembered that much.

_Focus_. They couldn't move. Even if they could, she was unable to navigate. Going in circles, never realizing it, and she'd felt so stunned and stupid when—

"Naoto? You there?"

Kanji's voice again. Naoto snapped back to attention. "Y-Yes. Just a moment."

They needed help from the others. The hours she'd spent strategizing with Souji had made his priorities clear; if he'd evaded the Reaper, he'd be racing up the building to Adachi. The last either she or Kanji had heard from Rise was her panicked transmission about the Reaper. If she and the senpai had defeated it, they might be able to help - but then why had Rise been silent since?

Too many questions. The room was spinning, the bloodstained walls moving in and out of focus. Naoto turned her head, wincing at the burst of pain, and looked up at Kanji. "Evoke," she told him. "Keep doing it. Try to get Rise's attention. I – " She paused, racking her mind for some trace of Sukuna-Hikona. Nothing. She bit her lip. "I-I can't."

"Okay. I c'n do that." His card flashed into his upturned palm. He crushed it an instant later, his fist enveloped by the blue glow, and with a rush of dusty air Take-Mikazuchi burst into existence in front of them. The room was tall, much taller than the tunnels, but the Persona's broad shoulders still rose past the gap in the floor above. He peered down at Kanji, as if waiting for instructions.

"Nothin' fancy. Just need you to show up on Rise's radar, yeah?" The shake in Kanji's voice was hard to notice, but once Naoto had, it became unmissable. "Make sure she hears you."

In the most human-like gesture Naoto had seen the Persona demonstrate, Take-Mikazuchi gave a slow, stiff nod. He'd started to flicker, though, much like he had in the earlier fight, and around five seconds later he sputtered out completely.

"Sorry," Kanji muttered, then grunted with pain. "Can't call him for all that long. Sorta – distracted, y'know?"

It wasn't Kanji's fault. If Naoto were the one suffering a potential closed fracture, she would be equally hard pushed to concentrate. As it was, her own injury had left her unable to do something as simple and instinctive as call her Persona. He'd been dormant since the fog set in, hard to contact, but he'd still been _there_, tucked away at the back of her mind. Now, everything was jumbled: vague shadows of memories and threads of thought that led nowhere. It felt like part of her was missing, and the absence was even more painful than the throbbing in her head.

She swallowed hard. "No, _I_ should apologize. I...should be able to summon Sukuna-Hikona."

Kanji squeezed her shoulder. "Don't worry. S'probably because you hit your head. Your connection with the little guy must be scrambled." He flexed the fingers of his other hand. "Gonna call Take-Mikazuchi again in a bit."

"It hurts," Naoto blurted without thinking. "I – I can't hear him and my head – it's so hard to _think_, Kanji-kun, and if I can't think I don't know what I can do to get us out of—" She grit her teeth, forcing herself to stop, and took a deep breath. She was being over-emotional. A symptom of concussion, she vaguely remembered it from her mental list, but she should still be able to control—

"Hey, hey. We gotta keep it together," Kanji soothed. "And I - kinda know what you mean, I think." He let out a slow, unsteady breath. "I wanna _kick_ myself for being such a dead weight right now."

"Y-You can't." Naoto had closed her eyes at some point, her head tipped back against the rubble behind them. "Your leg's broken."

Kanji made an unusual sound at that: something halfway between a laugh and a sigh. "Yeah. I'd noticed. Shit, feels like the thing's on fire."

"Do you have any healing items?"

That, for some reason, prompted another sigh. "No. They broke. I-I told you that." A pause. "Anyway...I got nothin'."

Dizziness rolled over Naoto, seeming to tip the room at sharp angles. Kanji was saying something else, now, and she opened her eyes to orientate herself. It didn't work. Her vision dissolved in a slick, swirling wash of red and black – blurring, warping, then plunging to darkness.

* * *

Naoto woke with her head pounding and her skin cool and damp. There were arms wrapped around her from behind, gripping tight. Someone was talking; their voice was low, hoarse, and oddly comforting.

"...keep callin' Take-Mikazuchi, been tryin' to think of something else I can do - but I got nothing. Bonehead, right?"

Kanji. Kanji was holding her.

The flash of indignation flared out in an instant. Too tired. Even opening her eyes was impossible. But when had she fallen asleep? _Where_ had she fallen asleep? The air smelled like dust and blood; her mouth seemed to taste of it. Her head was spinning and her body felt light enough to follow, as if only Kanji's grip tethered her to the ground. Naoto tried to relax into his hold, swallowing down a sudden rush of nausea.

Dust. Blood. Where _were_ they?

"Tried t'carry you, but my leg's hosed." A sigh. Held so tightly, she could feel the movement. "We pretty much collapsed. That's why I'm – y'know. Why I've got hold of you. I wasn't being weird or anythin'," he added, all in a rush. "Just...thought it'd be pretty crappy leaving you on the floor. Y'didn't even wake up, though. Hope I didn't bang your head up worse."

His leg. He'd been injured. The thought connected briefly, a small spark in the fog – Kanji telling her to leave him behind, the instant, visceral frustration and exasperation she'd felt at the suggestion – then faltered. How and why. Naoto knew neither.

"...last night. What I said." Kanji was still talking. She'd been trying to listen, but her mind kept drifting. "Ranting over you and Souji-senpai. Shit, I railed at you for thinking I was dumb an' now I can't even figure out how t'get us outta here. Rise ain't answering and I got no clue what happened to Senpai."

...They were somewhere he didn't want to be. Somewhere dangerous? She needed to get him to safety, just as she'd helped him before, just as she would again and again, but her limbs felt like lead. They would have to wait for help from the others – help Naoto was increasingly convinced would never arrive. Racking her fractured memories, she recalled Senpai had been focused on something – someone? – at the top of this place, while Rise had been fighting something else outside it, and might have already fled.

They'd all left her behind – and Naoto _knew_, with more certainty than she'd ever felt, that Kanji would be next.

"D-Don't go." She hadn't planned on speaking. Her voice sounded strange to her ears: small, desperate, and far too much like her Shadow. "Everyone always..._please_ don't..."

"I-I'm not going anywhere, man, I can barely frickin' move." Then quieter, gentler: "Just - calm down, yeah?" Her ears were still ringing, so Naoto didn't quite catch what he mumbled next – something about not realizing she was awake? – but after that, she felt him hold her against him a little more tightly. The angle of his grip was awkward, making it slightly uncomfortable, but she found herself too tired to object. He hadn't left. Not yet. That was what mattered.

"No way would I leave you, even if could," he said, quietly. "You were too damn stubborn t'leave _me_ behind, least I can do is repay the favour."

His breathing sounded labored, as if he were hissing through clenched teeth. Static, white noise - a television flickering at midnight as the rain rattled against the windows. They were here because of that, weren't they? Here to stop someone. Here to stop – who?

"Souji-senpai ain't abandoned us either, and Rise'll hear us eventually," Kanji was saying, the shake in his voice still audible. Something brushed against the back of her head, but the sensation disappeared a moment later. "We've...just gotta keep trying."

Naoto had too many questions - why they'd ended up here, where here was, who they were supposed to stop - but her lips refused to form around the words. It might've panicked her, normally, but the world felt airless and sluggish; as if she were slowly sinking into deep water.

"—out again, ain't you." Another, heavier sigh. "Naoto – I can't promise we'll be okay, but I can promise I ain't leaving you. You – y-you're...important to me. _Really_ important." He paused. "Figure I might as well say that, if we're gonna—well, yeah."

Important? Why was she—

She would've dwelt on the statement longer, but Kanji was already talking again, words bubbling under the ocean. Naoto tried to listen, but found herself sinking deeper and deeper until his voice was too faint to hear.

She might have passed out again. Unlikely, since her head was still throbbing, but it was hard to be sure of anything in this odd half-state, aware only of pain and discomfort. At some point, she could sense Kanji's arms around her, too – but it wasn't until an indeterminate period of time later that, as if being hauled back through the water's surface, she was suddenly able to hear his voice.

"—evoking a bunch, like you told me. Bet the big guy's pissed off I keep calling him up for nothin'. Have to let him take it out on Adachi later, Ziodyne that bastard into the ground."

_Adachi_.

Naoto's eyes flew open. The room blurred in and out of focus; rubble and debris sharpening into view in the dim red light, then dissolving back into the darkness. "Adachi, we - we have to stop him, Kanji, we don't –" – the end of the year, Shadows pouring into Inaba, Naoto could _see_ it, so clearly that she wondered if it had already happened - "—we don't have much time. We don't – I-I don't understand, why aren't we—"

"Whoa, take it easy," Kanji eased. "You back with it?"

Nothing made _sense_. Adachi was here, wasn't he? Why hadn't they stopped him? Had he been the one to injure Kanji? Why couldn't she remember? She tried to tilt back her head – it _hurt_, why did it hurt? – and blinked up at Kanji's face, reversed. "I-I don't know," she managed, through what felt like a coating of gravel in her mouth.

"Quit falling asleep, alright?" He pulled her slightly closer, careful to keep her away from his injured leg. "Keep talking to me instead. Gonna get lonely otherwise."

"K-Kanji-kun, what happened? Where _are_ we?"

"You've asked me that twice already, man." Kanji took a deep, shuddering breath. "We're in Adachi's part of the TV world. A Reaper blew the floor out from under us an' we fell. Souji-senpai's still up there somewhere with Ted...an' Rise and the other senpai are prob'ly fighting the same Reaper. And like I said, when we find Adachi I'm gonna Ziod—" He stopped short, then added, sounding almost curious, "Hold on."

An instant later, something glowed blue in Naoto's peripheral vision. The light made her head hurt even more, so she closed her eyes – just in time to guard against a sudden blast of dust. When she cracked her eyes open, Take-Mikazuchi was back in the room, still towering beyond the ceiling.

"Different drill this time, big guy," Kanji told him. "See the gap in the floor above you? Toss a Maziodyne through it."

Fogged as her mind was, it struck Naoto that Kanji didn't _need_ to talk out loud to Take-Mikazuchi. He might be doing it as a way to focus, or as some source of comfort. Considering the latter, she wished more than ever that she could still hear Sukuna-Hikona. She closed her eyes in an attempt to scour her mind for some sign of his presence. Again, nothing. The lightheadedness made it too taxing to concentrate for more than a few moments – and when Take-Mikazuchi fired off his first bolt of lightning, she screwed her eyes shut.

"If this don't get someone's attention, nothin' will," Kanji said. "Gonna keep firing them off till Rise or Ted hear us. Senpai'll just have to stump up to that money-grabbing fox."

Naoto wasn't sure exactly how many electricity spells Take-Mikazuchi used. She thought she counted three, maybe four separate searing bursts of light through her closed eyes, before a voice came from high above. A familiar, very indignant voice.

"Ack! Hold it off, Kanji-chan!"

"_Kanji-chan_?" Kanji muttered, then lifted his head. "Shit, Ted! You up there?"

"Yep." Souji's voice, distant but characteristically calming. "Despite almost taking a Maziodyne to the face, we're _both_ here."

Kanji had started saying something else – speaking to Naoto rather than Souji, from what she could make out – but she'd begun to drift back out again and managed only a meaningless murmur in response. There were more voices, back and forth and bubbling for what felt like hours, even days; it was impossible to tell. The next thing she was aware of, some uncertain length of time later, was a sensation of being lifted upward – not just into someone's arms, but higher, up an entire floor.

Her eyes flickered open. Head still throbbing, it took several moments for her to realize she was cupped in Take-Mikazuchi's hands. The Persona seemed solid now, though static occasionally crackled along his fingers.

"Naoto?" Souji said, somewhere higher up. "If you're awake, grab Izanagi's spear, all right? If not...I guess we'll think of something."

Izanagi spiraled into the air above her a moment later, the red-tinged light glinting off his metal mask. He held out his naginata toward her, handle first – and being just conscious enough to obey instructions, if not understand why they'd been given, Naoto latched on. She worried dimly that the naginata would slip from her grasp, but the wrappings around the handle were coarse enough for her to gain purchase.

She still hadn't understood what the two Personas and their owners were trying to do until Izanagi raised the naginata. It swung up through the jagged hole in the floor above, Naoto moving with it – but her arms were tired, she'd had to close her eyes to stop everything swirling and shaking, and she couldn't keep hold of-

"Now, Ted!"

A pair of arms grabbed her from behind and pulled her off the naginata. "Got you!"

"Remember, Ted," Souji said, somewhere nearby, "Naoto-kun might be a little out of it, but she'll still know exactly what you did and where your hands went."

"Teddie's a _gentleman_, Sensei. Gentlebear. Bear-y gentle." True to his word, Teddie was carefully carrying her away from the gap, or so Naoto presumed. "C'mon, Nao-chan. Kanji-chan's next and I don't know how I'm going to lift _him_."

Once Teddie had placed her on the floor, Naoto quickly drifted out again. She was aware of voices, this time: Souji shouting instructions to Kanji, Kanji cursing with pain, Teddie asking Kanji exactly how much he'd eaten lately, but it was hard to pay attention for long. Exhaustion gnawed at her, making it impossible to open her eyes. Some time later, she heard Teddie's voice, now much closer - "Everything'll be fine, Nao-chan, just hold still a second!" – and a cool wave crested over her. It seemed to wash the fog from her head, the bone-deep tiredness with it, and her eyes opened onto Teddie's grinning face.

"Great! You're awake!" he said. "I've got to help Kanji-chan now, but take it easy, okay?" With that he disappeared from her view, only to be replaced by Souji. Naoto quickly sat up, and immediately wished she hadn't.

Souji crouched down beside her and eyed her carefully. "How are you feeling?"

_About to be violently ill _was the most appropriate answer. Naoto opted for silence, at least until the room stopped tipping and tilting.

"Thought so," Souji said. "Just relax. From what Kanji said, you must've taken one hell of a blow to the head."

"I – I think so," Naoto managed. "It's – difficult to remember."

"No wonder. I'm just glad you were awake enough to grab the naginata. My only other idea was to poke it through your jacket and haul you up," Souji joked. He scrubbed at his face, and Naoto noticed his shoulders were slumped with tiredness.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

He paused, then smiled. It looked feeble at best. "Yeah. That summon just took it out of me. It's – really hard to hold on to Izanagi for long now, particularly without him flickering out. I don't know how Kanji handled that _and_ a bust leg."

_Kanji_. Naoto turned her head and saw both him and Teddie on the other side of the room. Kanji was propped up on his elbows, face visibly tensed against the pain, while Teddie studied his leg with a look of intense concentration. Kamui was behind them, the blue glow of his healing magic enveloping all three. She only watched for a few seconds, but it was long enough for Kanji to glance over, catch her eye, and immediately look away again.

She turned back to Souji. "He didn't leave," she blurted. "You didn't either."

Souji looked at her, grey eyes intent. "I couldn't."

Though her thoughts were clearer, her head still pulsated with pain. Naoto kneaded her knuckles against her forehead – unwittingly catching Souji's attention as she did.

"Our healing magic still isn't working as well as it should, is it." It didn't sound like a question. "I'm not convinced a Diaharan will completely cure a concussion, even at the best of times." He glanced over at Kanji. "Or a potential fracture, for that matter."

"I'll be fine," Naoto said. She stood slowly, in an effort to calm the nausea still itching at her throat. "What about Rise? And the other senpai?"

"Before we went searching for you and Kanji, we took a look outside. No sign of them - but I did briefly make contact with Rise. I just couldn't make anything out. I don't know where they are," Souji explained, his voice rising slightly on the last sentence. "We've got to track them down as soon as you and Kanji are fit to move. Speaking of which..."

Across the room, Kamui had vanished, and Teddie was trying unsuccessfully to pull Kanji up from the floor. In the end, Kanji pushed himself up – though gingerly, and without putting much weight on his injured leg. Though he was clearly attempting to hide his limp, his walk toward Naoto and Souji was more of a hobble. In his left hand, he was clasping her very dusty-looking cap.

He clapped Souji on the shoulder. "Thanks for helping us out, Senpai. You really saved our asses."

Souji shrugged. "Hey, it was your idea to use our Personas like that. You deserve the credit."

Kanji's cheeks tinged pink, and his hand moved to the back of his neck. It wasn't surprising, Naoto thought. Praise seemed to hold so much more meaning when given by Senpai.

"Did you defeat the Reaper?" she asked, though the prospect seemed unlikely.

"Never came after us," Souji said, expression darkening. "I'm guessing it blew a hole in the side of the building and went outside after the others."

Kanji's brow furrowed. "Huh. Then why'd you take so long to find us?"

It was a question even blunter than Naoto might've managed. Souji's expression shifted to a troubled, discomfited frown. "I –" he started, then paused and shook his head. "I was...going to confront Adachi. I dragged Ted all the way to the top of the building. But when I got there, I...realized I couldn't."

"Couldn't abandon us," Naoto asked, keeping her voice as neutral as she could, "or couldn't defeat him alone?"

The answer was instantaneous. "Both."

Naoto wanted to believe that was true. Looking at Souji now – gaze steady and intense, shoulders set firm - she felt it really could be. She'd thought she had reason to doubt Senpai, cause to believe he might no longer value the team's companionship and abilities, but had that really been fair given all he'd been through over the past month?

There was a beat of silence before Kanji finally spoke. "Well, s'good you didn't bail out on us."

"Sensei's better than that!" Teddie had most likely been going for confident affirmation, but ended up sounding flush with relief.

"Thanks, Ted – but I didn't know if I was," Souji said in a low voice. "Remember I said I wished I could do all this alone? A big part of that was selfishness, not wanting to have to think about all of you. Being able to do what I wanted." He closed his eyes for a moment, eyebrows angled in a slight frown. "But...I also don't want anyone else dragged into something I should be able to do myself. Something I _have_ to do myself."

Kanji grabbed his shoulder, more roughly this time. "No, you _don't_. Remember that, Senpai. It's important. Ted, Naoto, back me up here."

"Of course," Naoto said absently, her mind turning cautious circles around the word 'important'. Hadn't Kanji said something else was important earlier? No, it'd been _someone_. No, it'd been—

_Oh._

"You've gone even paler, Nao-chan," Teddie piped up. "Want me to catch you if you pass out?"

"Ain't you manhandled her enough today?" Kanji snapped.

"_Bear_handled, Kanji-chan."

"I-I'm fine," Naoto stammered, quickly taking her cap from Kanji and swiping off the worst of the dust. "I, um, think we should find Rise and the others. Quickly."

"Agreed." Souji tipped his head toward a set of double-doors at the far end of the room. "Let's head out."

He and Teddie had located Kanji and Naoto through the hole in the ground floor, making it easy for the group to find their way out of the hospital. It was a little slower than normal, owing to the after effects of Kanji's leg injury, but eventually they left through the blood-stained lobby doors. Outside the building, Rise and the senpai were, as Souji had said, nowhere to be found. Instead there was a single, black and red portal in the hospital wall, slightly to the right of the entrance.

"Whassat?" Kanji asked.

"A Goho-M, but I'll explain later," Souji said. "We need to find the others."

At Senpai's instruction they began walking back through the shopping district, carefully listening for Rise at each step. It wasn't until they were outside the remains of Aiya that any of them finally heard her voice.

_"Everyone, I – can hear this – left from the garage – house – Reaper is nearby! We need –"_

The Reaper must have found them again. Souji visibly paled. "...We have to help them," he muttered, and started running.

Teddie took off after him, and Naoto followed. She'd made it as far as Daidara's when she realized Kanji was trailing behind. Should she slow her pace?

...No. Rise and the senpai were in dire need of assistance. Besides, Kanji would only take the gesture as pity. Naoto increased her speed, soon passing Teddie and quickly catching up to Souji. They made a sharp left turn at the ruins of the Moel garage, into a barren, unfinished-looking landscape: nothing more than dirt and red rocks. They'd been running several minutes – Naoto beginning to wonder if they'd interpreted Rise's message correctly – when a set of low buildings finally came into view. As they ran closer, she recognized the ruined shells as houses, similar to many across Inaba's residential districts.

Then she spotted a flash of movement between the buildings.

Naoto, Souji, and Teddie all skidded to a halt ten metres short of the cluster of houses. As she scanned for signs of motion, she glanced at Souji, who was staring at the middle half-wrecked building. Confused, she followed his gaze. Where the interiors of the other houses were identical, with plain white walls and no discernible rooms, this one was intricately detailed – and horribly familiar. Naoto had spent enough time in the real-world counterpart to recognize the layout of the living room and the style of the kitchen fittings; if she were closer, she knew she'd spot the ash burns on the sofa from Dojima's cigarettes.

"Why would—" Souji began, little more than a whisper, then shook his head. "Come on. The others have to be—"

A blast blew through the remaining wall of one of the other houses. Splintered wood and plaster showered down, the building's roof collapsing with it, and behind the wreckage the Reaper came into view.

Souji had already evoked, Izanagi materializing into the air - flickering slightly, but with his naginata held at the ready. The Reaper fired off another shot that missed Izanagi completely and blasted another house apart instead. Looking closely, the Shadow seemed to be shimmering itself, as if on the verge of dissolving into static, and trails of thick black liquid were oozing down from the single eye-hole in its blood-stained mask. Chie and the others must have already dealt it significant damage, Naoto realized – meaning the rest of them were in with a chance.

Up ahead, Izanagi made his first attack – a wide swing that knocked one of the Reaper's long-barreled revolvers out of its hand. It slammed the side of its remaining gun against the Persona's head, metal ringing against metal. The attack knocked Izanagi aside, but Take-Mikazuchi was close behind, lunging forward and grabbing the revolver's barrel. Kanji had caught up to them.

Naoto tossed her card into the air and fired a bullet through. "_Sukuna-Hikona!"_

Sukuna-Hikona flashed into existence and launched directly into a Vorpal Blade: zipping side to side, carving a dozen wide slashes across the Reaper's back. It was a punishing skill to use and left Naoto breathless, but did nothing to stop the grappling match over the revolver, which little by little the Reaper seemed to be winning. Take-Mikazuchi was being tugged side to side, his grip on the gun barrel gradually loosening. Naoto tried a second Vorpal Blade, this one driving her to her knees – but midway through the attack, the Reaper finally wrenched the gun from Take-Mikazuchi's grasp. It lurched backward and fired two blasts in quick succession: one hitting Take-Mikazuchi square in the chest, the other catching Sukuna-Hikona as he darted to the Shadow's left.

Izanagi must have been hit too; on her hands and knees in the dirt, Naoto dimly registered Souji yelling in pain a moment after Kanji. She felt a rush of freezing cold above her – Kamui, firing off a hail of ice shards. The Reaper recoiled, but recovered before any of them could seize the opening, gliding forward with its remaining revolver pointed at the group.

She stared up at the barrel, jaw clenched, and closed her eyes.

"_Amaterasu!_"

Instead of icy cold, Naoto now felt raw heat sear over her head – and opened her eyes to see a wave of fire strike the Reaper dead on. Suzuka Gongen dove in an instant later and drove her spear through the Reaper's chest, then swung it up and over her head in a wide semi-circle, slamming the Shadow into the ground. Jiraiya was there before it could stand up, flickering and static-y but still able to blast out a powerful Garudyne.

Unfortunately, the wind billowed under the Reaper's robe and helped to lift it upright. Yosuke's loud and unrepeatable response was almost immediately lost in a second roar of flame. Amaterasu - as solid and strong as Suzuka Gongen and Kamui - swept in from behind, the blades on her wings fanned out, and launched another Agidyne spear at the Reaper's head. As the fire sizzled through its cloth mask, it howled with what sounded like pain – and Take-Mikazuchi appeared from nowhere, grappling for the gun a second time.

Naoto evoked even before bothering to stand. Sukuna-Hikona rocketed through the air toward Shadow and Persona, curved around Take-Mikazuchi's back, and impaled his glowing sword straight into the Reaper's single visible eye.

This time, the howl was closer to a high-pitched scream. With blood and dark slime streaming from its eye, the Reaper lost its grip on the revolver and collapsed backward. Suzuka Gongen was at its side before it could hit the ground, grabbing the chains wrapped around its torso and swinging it into the wreckage of a nearby house. The Reaper crashed through the scorched wood and plaster, slammed into the dirt– and didn't move.

Izanagi fired off a final, seemingly superfluous Ziodyne. Electricity crackled over the Reaper's prone form, but there was neither any movement nor sound of pain. Moments later, the Shadow began to melt into a broad, bubbling puddle of black ooze that coated the plain white walls of the ruined house and spread across the ground.

A stunned, exhausted silence fell. Fortunately, it wasn't long before Kanji broke it. "...Holy crap."

"I'll say!" Chie shook her head. "You wouldn't believe what it took to outrun that thing! We had to hide out in Souji's house - or this copy of his house, or whatever."

"Where's Rise?" Souji cut in.

"...Right here, Senpai." Rise was stumbling out of the shell of the Dojima residence, one arm slung over Yukiko's shoulders. Looking closely, her school shirt was stained dark and torn across the stomach. "I – kinda took a hit from that Reaper."

"More than that," Yukiko said, quietly. "And our healing magic doesn't—"

"Work as well as it should. I know." Souji stepped toward Rise, and slid in to take Yukiko's place as her support. "What happened?"

Rise managed a weak, breathless chuckle. "I guess I can't run as fast as the senpai. I'll have to put more effort into gym class."

"Then Hanamura was clumsy enough to get zapped helping her up," Chie said, with a pointed glare at Yosuke. "Yukiko and me were able to deal that Reaper thing a few heavy hits, but in the end we had to haul both of those two over here and hide."

"We were worried that using Diaharan would get the Reaper's attention again," Yukiko added, "but we didn't really have a choice. Especially not with Rise."

Rise shrugged, though the motion was awkward and stiff. "Like I said before, I watch you guys get hurt all the time. I figure it's my turn."

"And I told you, don't say that," Souji scolded. "That's _not_ how it works."

"So, anyway, where were you guys?" asked Yosuke. "Did you find Adachi?"

"Yes and no." Souji reached across and absently brushed a lock of Rise's hair from her face. "Ted and I found him at the top of the hospital, we think, but we didn't approach."

Kanji grumbled under his breath, rolling his shoulders. "Guess we've gotta work our way back up that creepy damn building."

"Your fearless leader isn't _completely_ stupid." Souji gave a small, half-smile. "I used a Goho-M, but didn't enter the portal. The entrance is right outside the hospital."

"Will that work here?" Naoto asked. Adachi had previously proved able to control their ability to teleport, to the extent that Teddie hadn't been able to make a portal directly back to the main lot. A Goho-M employed teleportation within the _same_ place, true, but if they stepped inside that portal near the hospital, who knew where Adachi might send them?

"It's worth a try - especially if the alternative is finding another Reaper." Souji glanced at Chie and Yukiko in turn. "And thanks, you two. You as well, Yosuke. We wouldn't have been able to take down that first Reaper without your help."

"I just helped the stupid thing stand up," Yosuke grumbled. "All that effort calling Jiraiya, too."

Chie's brow furrowed with confusion. "Huh. It was pretty easy to summon Suzuka Gongen."

"I had no problems with Amaterasu either," Yukiko said.

The common factor was obvious. "Your Personas recently evolved," Naoto pointed out. "The limited evidence available suggests that the disruption afflicting the rest of our Personas does not apply to yours. Teddie, was Kamui equally easy for you to summon?"

"Yep. He's louder now, too. I can hear him way clearer than I could Kintoki-Douji."

Yosuke sighed, blowing his fringe from his forehead. "Okay...fancy new Personas are the way to go. So why don't the rest of us have them?"

At that, Souji visibly tensed. "It's complicated," he eventually said. "I'll – try to explain later." He lifted his head, and looked at each of the team in turn. "Right now, we need to decide whether to tackle Adachi, or go back out."

"What do _you_ want to do?" Yosuke asked, simply.

There was a beat of silence before Souji spoke. He sounded apologetic yet resigned, a strange tone to hear in his voice. "...I want to go get the bastard."

Yosuke gave a single, firm nod. "Then I'm following."

"A Sensei needs his Teddie!" Teddie chimed in. "I'll be right at your side, okay?"

Naoto took a deep breath. "The Goho-M will expire by the time we return," she said, preferring to select one of her more logical reasons. "I will therefore accompany you."

"Are you sure? You were badly hurt earlier. I'd understand if you'd rather go back," Souji told her, clearly trying to look like he would. "Same goes for you, Rise and Kanji. I _know_ this is risky, and I don't want to push any of you into it."

Rise carefully pushed herself away from Souji (looking a little regretful as she did). "I'm with you, Senpai."

"Ditto," added Kanji. "Remember what I said before? You _ain't_ doing this alone."

Important. Kanji had said _that_ before, too. Naoto tugged down the brim of her cap, hoping that and the dim light would hide the flush she could feel creeping over her face.

...He'd been 'important' enough for her to jump in a television to pursue. Something Naoto had been trying very hard not to think about, along with—

"And if the rest of you are all going, no way am I gonna miss it!" Chie punched a fist into her palm, and Yukiko nodded beside her. "We'll pummel that big jerk!"

This time, the silence stretched out far longer: all of them looking expectantly to Souji, as his gaze traveled over each of them in turn. It was too long, to the point where even Naoto, accustomed to quiet, wanted to break it – and Souji's expression was strange too. More tranquil than she'd seen in weeks, yet slightly wide-eyed with it, as if he'd reached some final realization. At last, he straightened his back, shrugged his shoulders, and said, softly, "Thanks, guys."

"Aw, isn't that _touching_?"

The team glanced up as one. Adachi stood in the wreckage of the Dojimas' house, empty-eyed and wearing a grin so wide it threatened to split his face in two.

"Don't listen to him," Rise said. "He's not really here."

Souji gave a slow nod. "A fake. Just like this house, just like the hospital." He leveled Adachi with an icy glare. "Just like you."

"Oh, don't _sulk. _What else am I meant to do while I wait for you guys?" Adachi said, rolling his shoulders in an elaborate shrug that grated against Naoto's nerves. It looked helpless, humorous; too much like something the old Adachi would've done, back when he was just a bumbling junior detective. "I thought you'd like that Reaper, but I didn't expect you'd spend so long letting it kick your asses."

"Don't worry, asshole," Yosuke spat. "We'll be right up there."

Adachi's expression shifted, then - from the grin that verged on a sneer to something harder to read: an odd mix of impatience and resignation. "Then hurry up, kids. I don't have forever. Neither does Inaba."

He vanished on the final word. The team stood in silence, even after the echo of his voice had faded, until Souji turned away from the wrecked houses.

He glanced at the group over his shoulder. "Everyone heal up, best you can. It's time to give him what he wants."


	40. Chapter 29

_A/N: Very long chapter. Sorry. Next story I write will need 500 word chapters, I think._

_Story so far: The team took down the Reaper, and a concussed Naoto heard rather more from Kanji than she would've expected._

_In this part: An epic battle with a god, a mundane quarrel with some cops, and an eventful Christmas Eve not-quite-date._

* * *

Souji hadn't been exaggerating about how far he'd made it up the hospital. Judging by the view from the shattered windows, the Goho-M had taken them to the top of the building. A pristine white door was set in the bloodied wall opposite the portal, with tatters of yellow police tape hanging from its frame.

"Adachi's in there," Rise said, almost immediately after exiting the portal. "Not a fake, _really_ in there."

"Thought so." Souji glanced over his shoulder at the group. "Count of three?"

They'd trained up for days. They'd fought the Reaper. Souji had even had the foresight to bring a leaf from the fox, which they'd used before heading back to the Goho-M portal. The only problem was their Personas. Take-Mikazuchi, Jiraiya, Sukuna-Hikona, Himiko, even Izanagi – all five of them were weakened, maybe by this place, maybe by the fog. And most worryingly of all, Izanagi was the only Persona Souji could summon.

But what could they do about that other than beat down Adachi? It was the only hope they had. Kanji's grim nod came in unison with the rest of the team, and Souji turned back to the door.

"One, two..._three_!"

The door slammed open under his kick, and the team burst through into a clean and sterile-looking hospital room; the type that set Kanji's teeth on edge and made his stomach start swirling. White walls, white floor, white ceiling, even white sheets on the bed in the centre of the otherwise-empty space. Adachi sat on one side of the bed, leaning forward with his elbows resting on the metal frame. He didn't bother to look up.

"About time," he muttered. His gaze was fixed on the shape under the sheets. The outline looked like a person, only smaller, as if it was a little kid.

...Wait a sec.

"Don't act like you ever cared about her," Yosuke snapped, with an angry swipe toward the bed. "You _knew_ she'd be taken!"

Souji said nothing. Just stared at Adachi, hands gripping the hilt of his sword so tightly that his knuckles had turned porcelain-white.

Adachi quirked an eyebrow at Yosuke. "Throwing another tantrum, Hanamura? Didn't you do enough of that back in Namatame's room?" he asked - and, at Yosuke's stammered half-denial, broke into a wide and vicious grin. "What, you thought I didn't overhear? Like I'd miss quality entertainment!"

Naoto stepped forward. "Allow me to confirm the crimes you've committed thus far—"

"Speaking of temper tantrums! Thought you'd bit it for a while, Shirogane. How'd it feel, relying on an idiot like Tatsumi to make sure you didn't stumble off into a wall?"

She kept his pistol trained on him as she spoke, voice level and cool. "As I was saying. You suspected this world was dangerous, yet you threw Mayumi Yamano into the TV. Knowing full well she died here, you then did the same to Saki Konishi."

"All of which I told you already." Adachi laughed; a humorless bark. "Nothing better than a pushy little bitch who loves the sound of her own voice."

With everything he'd done and with everything she represented, it was obvious Adachi hated Naoto - but something in the way he spoke down to her riled Kanji up more than he could stand. "Shut the hell up! Nobody gives a shit what you—"

"Not only that," Naoto cut in, calmly as ever and as if Kanji hadn't spoken, "but you duped Namatame into taking over your murder attempts and when the disappeared stopped dying, you sent a warning letter to ensure more victims. Even when a copycat killer emerged, you had the gall as a detective to attempt to eliminate a suspect."

"Oh, don't get prissy. Like being a detective means a damn thing," Adachi said. "There's plenty of assholes on the force who applied just so they could legally carry a gun – just like me." His grin stretched wider, now verging on a sneer. "You of all people oughta know _that_."

"Two people died in the last six months and a young girl is in critical condition, thanks to you," Naoto said, her voice turning quieter at the mention of Nanako – Adachi's grin dropping at the same time. "All for some foolish 'excitement' - a criminal reveling in the chaos he creates." She tilted her head. "Does that cover it?"

"Shut up," Adachi snapped. "You don't even have a _point_. All I did was put people in here." His gaze drifted to the sheets, and the small figure hidden underneath. "And I never touched _her_."

"But you would've," Souji said, voice quiet.

"Look, Yamano was a lying, cheating bitch. Konishi was a snobby little schoolgirl. And while I'm at it, _you_," – and here Adachi pointed at Yukiko – "were just as stuck-up. Wouldn't even stop for a proper police interview, remember?"

Yukiko's eyes widened as she recoiled. "N-No, I - I remember the police swarming the inn, but not you asking—"

"Didn't think so. You're all the same - worthless bitches," he spat. "Not like Nanako-chan. I wouldn't have thrown _her_ in."

Souji slowly shook his head. "You looked after her. You ate with us at my uncle's house. And then you let Namatame kidnap her, take her inside that other world, and for what? Entertainment?"

"So _what_ if I let her get taken?" Adachi's hands snared tightly around the metal railing of the bed. "She was going to be so much better off, Seta, I know that for certain now."

"That's crazy!" Teddie protested. "How would Nana-chan be better off in here?"

"Because the world outside is full of shit. The only way to survive is to be born with the magic ticket called 'talent', and if you aren't, and you realize that...all you have left is despair. Emptiness. The ultimate game over." Adachi's expression had turned deadly serious, all the spite and superiority gone completely. "Why would you ever put your precious Nanako through that?"

"She'll know, one day," Souji said, simply. "She'll know _exactly_ what you did."

The chair clattered to the tiled floor as Adachi leapt to his feet, expression a full-on snarl. He raised his free hand, clicked his fingers once – and the world shifted.

It happened so quickly, Kanji barely had time to register the change: the white walls melting into nothing, the ceiling bursting open into swirling red and black, the spotless floor cracking and reforming into dirty rubble beneath his feet. They weren't _in_ the building now, but on top of it, six floors or more above Adachi's screwed-up version of Inaba. And behind Adachi himself floated a bloodied, twisted Izanagi. That was why it'd looked so familiar before, Kanji realized - but why would this asshole have the same Persona as Souji?

"The hell do you think you are?" Adachi snarled. "A stupid, jumped-up teenager with his stupid, jumped-up friends. All of you piss me off! You might have hopes and dreams right now, but reality's going to shit all over them!"

Souji braced himself, sword held sideways in a guard. "Nobody ever said facing life was easy."

"No, they didn't. And you don't get anything out of trying." Adachi gestured wildly around himself, though whether at the team or at Inaba in general, Kanji couldn't tell. "When we all become Shadows, we'll still keep on living, oblivious to everything around us. How's _that_ different to the way it is now?" His voice turned quiet again, almost nonchalant. "Cutting to the chase will make things much easier for everyone."

Kanji was on the verge of responding to that, and loudly. The last person he'd have expected to get there first was Yukiko. "Speak for yourself!" she snapped. "Living's too painful for you, but you don't want to die – of course nobody's going to understand! _You're_ the one throwing the tantrum!"

Even Adachi had seemed a little surprised by her outburst, but the final line made his eyes glow a brighter yellow still. He clutched his head, his Izanagi raised its polearm - and before Kanji could respond, lightning crackled across the massive rooftop. Should've been a Ziodyne, but it felt no stronger than a Zio; a gesture, rather than a full-on attack. The team all took it, Yosuke having been quick enough to guard first, but it meant Adachi was getting _pissed_.

"Say whatever you want," he said – grinning again now, too sharp and taut to be anything but a mockery - "but people out there are still scared to death. They _want_ the fog! They _want_ the world swallowed up. It's my duty to see that they get it."

"Bullshit!" Kanji growled. "Like anyone in town wants to be turned into a Shadow!" Even the people in the street, the ones that had gotten sick from the fog, they wouldn't really want that. _Nobody_ would.

"People can't live alone," Naoto said, far quieter than Kanji, in an admission that later on he'd realize couldn't have come easily. "If you surrender and sever your ties to society, destroying it will naturally seem attractive. You refuse to face life and admit your guilt, running from your own humanity like a coward. Your twisted logic is that of an immature, egotistical brat!"

Adachi rounded on her, his face scrunched and warped with fury. Behind him, blood began to roll in thick, slow rivulets down the mask of his Izanagi. "I told you to shut up! You have no idea what kinda shit I've been through!"

Teddie tugged at Souji's arm with one paw. "Be careful! Something's happening to him!"

"I said it before - this place, the Shadows, they all favour me. There's going to be a new world, and it doesn't want any of you!"

Souji moved first. His Izanagi lunged forward, weapon stretched out, tip directed straight at Adachi's Persona – and was immediately thrown back by a wave of pure energy. Kanji braced himself, expecting to take a similar hit. Instead, there was this strange flicker, a sudden pulse through his head, and when he tried to will his card into his hand, nothing happened.

He glanced around. Souji's Izanagi was flickering and clutching at his mask, and only Yosuke and Chie had evoked. Maybe the others hadn't been able to either. But that was fine, all good, wasn't like Adachi could silence a sheet of metal to the head, right? Kanji launched himself forward with his shield at his side, hoping to at least get a couple of good swings before the spell wore off.

Then Adachi's Izanagi raised a hand.

With Himiko silenced, there was no warning from Rise before the blast of wind caught Kanji head on, and no time to swing up his shield. Metal clanged against the floor as the gale threw him backward, far further than it should've, straight into something – someone? – and off the edge of the roof.

Oh, _shit_.

His body had just started to register the fall – his eyes screwing shut, his stomach leaping into his chest – when there was a second gust of wind. _Below_ him, this time, and gentler. Still didn't feel good, but at least it slowed him down.

He opened his eyes. Above him, Yosuke was clinging to Jiraiya's cape, and to his right, Naoto was being buoyed by the same breeze. Kanji wasn't sure which of them he'd smashed into. Probably both. He'd apologize to them later. Once his stomach had untwisted itself. He took a deep breath that ended in a swallow, and let the wind guide him to the base of the hospital.

At the bottom, Yosuke let go of Jiraiya's cape and dropped the short distance to the ground. "C'mon, we've gotta get back up there."

"Can't y'just lift us up? Fire off another Garu?"

"Sorry, Kanji. Naoto's probably tiny enough," Yosuke said, earning a simmering glare from Naoto, "but you're too much of a lug for Jiraiya to lift."

Naoto readied her pistol. "Then we go the long way. With the Reaper destroyed, it should be a straight shot."

They started for the hospital entrance. The glass doors slid open, the three of them stepped through – and Kanji's vision flashed red.

When it cleared, he was inside the lobby of Inaba Municipal Hospital: the _real_ one, white and beige and lined with empty plastic seats. Yosuke and Naoto were nowhere to be seen. And a single thought sprang to Kanji's mind: _gotta find Ma_.

...Shit, why was he thinking of...

His breath was coming faster and shallower, his pulse hammering in his throat, and he burst into a run down the nearest corridor.

...It didn't even make _sense_, why would Ma be...

The walls were stark and blank and he checked in every room he passed, looking for Ma, _knowing_ she was here somewhere. She'd been hurt, it was like before when Senpai had come with him to the hospital, only this time it was for real. The corridors were like a maze and the rooms held nothing but beds and equipment. Nobody to ask, not even any other patients, what was _with_ this place? Kanji pounded up a flight of stairs, calling out for his mother, half-limping on his still-tender leg, his heart going like a rabbit's, fast enough he swore it would burst, that he'd go out just like his old man—

Midway down another white corridor, at the junction with the next wing, he slammed to a halt.

A few meters ahead, his father smiled at him, lopsided and affectionate. "Hey, kid."

Beat-up trousers, short hair tinged with flecks of grey, fingers and shirt stained multicoloured by fabric dye. The old man looked exactly the same as when he'd—the day that he'd—

Kanji felt his fists clench at his sides. "The hell are you—"

Dad inclined his head down the corridor behind him. "Your mother's waiting. Next wing. She'll be next."

Ma going too?

Kanji's stomach lurched. "Shut up!" he roared. "She won't!"

Sighing, Dad slowly shook his head. "And I told you to be strong. Didn't listen, did ya? Kicked out, lashed out – and for what?"

Everything had hurt back then. A lot of it still did. When Dad had gone on about being strong just two days before he'd died, it'd felt like he was saying Kanji wasn't a real man, that he wasn't good enough. Who'd blame a kid for not dealing? "I – I didn't know what else to do!"

"A _real_ man would've." Years on, his father's voice still rang clear in his memory, and Kanji still swore he'd never heard it carry such contempt. "A strong man would've taken care of your mother instead of brawling with biker gangs."

His throat felt dry and knotted. "I was trying to _help_ her, dammit, they were makin' noise and I just wanted to—"

"Make everyone believe your tough guy act?" Dad rubbed at the stubble on his chin, like the conversation was boring him. "When deep down, you're just a scared little boy."

If the way he said it wasn't horribly convincing enough, Kanji's doubts took care of the rest. His chest felt as twisted as his throat now, but numb and hollow with it. "I-I'm not—"

"A boy who's made an art of hiding from himself," Dad continued. The smile had twisted into a snide grin. "No wonder you get along so well with that would-be girlfriend of yours - or should I say boyfriend?"

...Dad wouldn't know about Naoto. He wouldn't know _any_ of the stuff that'd happened since he'd died. This shit was all being pulled from Kanji's own mind, and that meant this _thing_ was too, no matter how much it looked like his old man. "You ain't real," Kanji snarled.

The illusion – not his father, not a chance – didn't flinch. "You don't want me to be," it said, level and calm. "But what I'm saying is real enough, and you know it."

Kanji screwed his eyes shut. "No, no way! My head's making you up and that bastard Adachi's yanking you out. _You ain't real_."

A hand gripped his arm tightly. "None of it is, Kanji-kun. Just wake up."

He took a deep breath – blood and dust on the air – and opened his eyes.

The hospital was back to what it'd been before: warped, twisted red and black, but recognizably part of this world. Being glad to see blood and slime trickling down the corridor walls was probably a little off, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

Naoto dropped her hand from his arm. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Kanji took a long breath, steadying himself. "Y-Yeah. Fine. Just – y'know." He turned to face her. "Fear magic, right?"

"I believe so. The illusions are...quite convincing," she said, quietly.

"No shit," Yosuke muttered. "Aerials everywhere I looked and Souji—" Then he seemed to catch himself and shook his head. "Forget it. We need to get—"

"Why the hell won't you just _die_?"

Kanji whirled around. Adachi stood down the corridor, in roughly the same place the previous illusion had been. His image kept fizzing and sputtering with static, and in the gaps between Kanji could see blood trickling down from his nose and over his lips.

"Another fabrication, I see," Naoto said, coolly. "And from your appearance, the battle must not be going as smoothly as you imagined."

"Holy crap, Shirogane, don't you _ever_ shut up?" Adachi gestured sharply toward the ceiling. "Get back to the roof. Just _try_ and take me down. Even if you do, it won't make any damn difference."

Like Naoto had said, another damn ghost. Wasn't like they could smack it down, but Kanji couldn't help raising a fist. "Get bent, asshole. We'll stop whatever you're tryin' to pull, and—"

Before he could finish the sentence, another blast of wind blew past him. The illusion shimmered then scattered, small particles of static dissolving as they hit the floor.

"Sorry," Yosuke muttered. "He was pissing me off. Let's go."

He started walking away, searching each door he passed for the stairwell, but Naoto stayed at Kanji's side. "Ready?" she asked.

Not really – but right now, he _had_ to be. For once, looking at Naoto made things a little easier. "Yeah. M'good."

Working together, it didn't take them long to find the stairs. Kanji had lost count of exactly how many flights he'd bolted up while caught in the fear spell, but it must've been at least three floors. His leg certainly felt worse for it. Fortunately, most of the invisible walls from before had gone; he guessed Adachi couldn't play stupid games when he was fighting for his life. Kanji, Naoto and Yosuke managed a steady clip through the remaining levels, weaving from stairwell to stairwell, until they finally burst through the door to the roof.

Outside, Ted was cowering on the floor, paws over his head. Chie was on her hands and knees. Rise and Yukiko were ducked behind a pile of rubble, the latter with her hand held out, desperately trying to evoke. The twisted Izanagi was flickering in and out of existence, but still had his polearm raised. And Souji – Souji was on his knees in front of Adachi, staring up the barrel of a police-issue gun.

They'd never reach him in time. Adachi would—

One shot rang out, then a second. Kanji watched Adachi stumble forward barely a half step as a bullet bored between his shoulder blades – and in almost the same instant, Souji rolled to his right, a vivid patch of red blooming over his left shoulder.

Naoto ran across the roof toward him, gun trained on Adachi at each step.

Again, Kanji tried to evoke, and this time his card flared blue in his hand. Take-Mikazuchi swung back his heavy fist and pounded Adachi's Izanagi in the chest, Jiraiya rushing up close behind and whirling out a Garudyne that tore long, bloodied strips from the twisted Persona's coat. Naoto was beside Souji, now, but he evoked before she could even help him upright. The real Izanagi lunged forward, both arms outstretched, and made a grab for his twisted counterpart's throat.

Adachi seemed to curl in on himself, clutching at his chest. He trained his gun on Souji, again – and another bullet tore through his stomach as Naoto fired a second time. He bent over further, blood spilling out onto the rooftop, and made some sort of wordless noise Kanji didn't initially catch. It took him a moment to realize it was a choking, guttering laugh.

He bolted over to Naoto and Souji, already shrugging off his school jacket as he ran. Wasn't as good as real bandages – or better yet, a Diaharan - but at least it might help stem the blood flowing from Senpai's shoulder. As he crouched down beside Souji and pressed his jacket over the wound, Naoto stood with her gun gripped in both hands, sights still trained on their target. "Stop this now, Adachi-san, or face further consequences."

Adachi grinned at her, blood bright between his teeth. "What…you gonna kill me?"

"We – we can leave here," Souji said, his jaw clenched against the pain. "Together. It – doesn't have to be this way."

The laughter this time wasn't more than a gasping chuckle. Adachi dropped to his knees. His Izanagi vanished at the same time, leaving the original grasping at empty air. "You - really...won't quit, will you?" he managed - then slowly, painfully, raised his gun to his mouth. "...Fine. Have it your way."

Souji lurched forward, almost pulling out of Kanji's grip. "Wait, don't—!"

The tip of the barrel had barely grazed Adachi's lips when he was yanked upwards, backwards, a puppet dragged up by its strings – the gun clattering uselessly against the rooftop. Black Shadows spiraled out of his form to pull and tug at his limbs, until finally he hung motionless in the air five or ten meters off the ground, his arms outstretched and eyes closed. The fog rushed back in around the rooftop, thicker and darker than ever.

Rise crept out from behind the rubble, evoking as she moved. "A-Adachi-san? Is that—I can't tell—"

Adachi's eyes snapped open: vivid, shining purple and gold. _"All humans will become Shadows, and I shall descend upon the united world as the master of order." _ Kanji knew Adachi's voice and every irritating note he'd come to hate; this was deeper, colder. Ancient. _"Both this world and yours will soon be enveloped in a fog that never lifts."_

Souji struggled to his feet, one hand holding Kanji's jacket against his shoulder. "...Who or what are you?"

_"I am Ameno-sagiri," _he said._ "One who rules the fog. One awakened by man's desires."_

"The god of fog," Naoto said. "But why—"

"Yeah, yeah. Wishes, desires, we've already heard all that," Yosuke snapped. "Whoever you are, do you really think humans are that dumb?"

_"Do or say what you will, but your world's erosion cannot be stopped." _Arms still raised, Adachi arched his back. _"It is an inevitability."_

The air seemed to shimmer, just for an instant, before a wave of fiery energy blasted out.

Kanji threw himself to the deck. There'd been no time to grab his shield again, and all he could do was grit his teeth against the scorching heat over his back. But it quickly faded, most of the pain with it, and as he uncurled himself and stood, he stared up into the fog where Adachi had been.

...Holy crap.

Whatever it was, it was _huge_. A massive, spiky sphere, taller than five of him stacked together. The surface seemed to be made up of dozens of rippling black scales, and the gaps where they joined glowed many different colours. As the fog dissipated around it the sphere seemed to open up, a flap – no, an eyelid - sliding open to reveal a chromatic eyeball beneath, the rings of the iris resembling the lens of a camera.

Oh man. This was gross. Bad enough they had to throw down with Adachi, now they had to tackle a giant glowing eyeball?

_"Everyone!"_ Rise, via Himiko. _"That thing – I think it's the source of the fog. I can feel it trying to pull this world and ours together!"_

Souji looked up at the monster. "...Why...would you want to merge the two?"

His voice was almost too low for Kanji to hear. Ameno-sagiri still answered. _"Humans tore down the walls between image and reality. This is the outcome they desire. Mankind's desires are my desires - and thus I must expand this world."_

So this thing really _was_ trying to screw up the real world. And, just like Adachi, it figured that was what people wanted. Bullshit. Kanji's first instinct was to evoke, but it hadn't attacked yet and Souji hadn't given any signal for the team to strike first, so he swiped his arm through the air instead. "Why the hell would anyone want _that_?"

Ameno-sagiri blinked down at them, slow and deliberate._ "Mankind will soon become Shadows, as they wish, and live on in the darkness of the fog. This is part of the sea of unconsciousness that exists within human hearts. A hollow forest, born from bloated desire and false imagery."_

Yukiko stepped forward. She had one arm around Chie, helping to hold her up. "Then – this place isn't simply affected by people's hearts, it actually exists inside them?"

_"Mankind abandoned its pursuit of truth, placing itself in the depth of chaos and falsehood. I bestowed power on those who could brave the hollow forest."_

Souji raised the hand on his injured side slightly, as if planning to evoke, then carefully lowered it again. "You...mean the power to enter the TV."

Wasn't like a big floating eyeball could nod, but Ameno-sagiri didn't disagree. _"Humans fear what they cannot see, and see only what they want. This is a world built on desires, viewed through a window from which one sees what one wishes to see."_

"Of course...the Midnight Channel," Naoto said. She had her gun trained on Ameno-sagiri now, for all the good it'd do. "Now I understand. The Midnight Channel we saw in Namatame's hospital room did not reflect his true intentions at all, but our own preconceptions. We _wanted_ him to be the killer."

_"The more false images one yearns for,_" Ameno-sagiri rumbled,_ "the more one stops yearning for reality. And so the forest grows on." _A pause. _"But you, I did not foresee. You not only mastered your own Shadows, but the power they held. A new and uncertain facet of mankind..."_

The lines crisscrossing the eyeball's surface glowed brighter – pulsating, now, in time with a throbbing hum of energy.

_"Is it worthy to put my trust in?" _

_"Watch out,"_ Rise started, _"I-I think it's gonna—"_

_"It must be tested."_

A brilliant, blazing burst of light.

Kanji had screwed his eyes shut but the light still seared through. The blast of energy that followed a split-second later was no surprise. Megidolaon. With no chance to guard, he was easily knocked off his feet and slammed into the floor. He lay there for several valuable seconds, jaw clenched against the pain coursing through his entire body, and heard the same hum start up again, pulsing faster and faster. Ameno-sagiri, gearing up for another Megidolaon. No way could they take it, they'd been beat up enough just from fighting—

Another flare of light through his eyelids - and at the same time, the sound of a card shattering.

There was no pain this time. Kanji forced himself into a sitting position and blinked against the spots still speckling his vision. Two meters ahead, Souji was on his knees with one hand raised, the other still clutching Kanji's jacket against his bleeding shoulder – and midway between him and Ameno-sagiri, Izanagi was holding out his weapon horizontally in both hands, trying to block the wide beam of light shooting out from the eyeball's pupil. Only it didn't look like Souji could hold it for long. He trembled with the effort, Izanagi sputtering like a match.

"We gotta help him!" Yosuke yelled, somewhere behind Kanji. Then, "Jiraiya!"

Jiraiya shot toward Izanagi in a red and white flash and threw up his arms to help block the raw energy of the Megidolaon. He immediately flared brighter, and within seconds he was a dazzling white. Like he was absorbing the spell, or couldn't block it. But if that was true, why wasn't Izanagi affected? It was too bright to make out much more than splashes of colour, but for the briefest moment, Kanji thought Jiraiya seemed to change – white and red shifting to pale blue – right before Izanagi swallowed the light completely, and Yosuke's Persona with it. As Izanagi's outline glowed the same brilliant blue as a summoned Persona card, Souji shuddered, his lips moving in a whisper, but didn't lower his hand.

Yosuke staggered back. "Ugh - what the hell just—"

_"I don't know!"_ Kanji glanced over his shoulder; Rise was shaking her head beneath her shimmering visor. _"Jiraiya's still _there_, but he's – part of Izanagi, now?"_

"Then we do the same." Naoto tossed her card into the air and fired a bullet straight through. Sukuna-Hikona rocketed through the air to Izanagi's side and hovered there, his glowing sword held out in a guard position. Again, he glowed brighter, was nearly lost in the glare within seconds – and again, he seemed to change, his head lengthening and the blue dissolving into white. The light merged with Izanagi just as before, causing the larger Persona to flare blue a second time. Naoto seemed to wince a little and lifted a hand to her head, but she stayed standing.

Colours raced across the gaps in Ameno-sagiri's scales. The beam of energy grew brighter and wider, and more ragged at the edges, like the monster was trying to ratchet up the power. Izanagi staggered back, slightly, but kept his naginata raised. Wind had started to whip across the rooftop, weaker than a Garu but enough to blow patches through the fog.

_"Guys, Izanagi's getting stronger! Try doing the same thing!"_

Well, crap. Maybe Naoto and Yosuke were on to something. Kanji summoned his card and crushed it in one fist. "Take-Mikazuchi!"

As Take-Mikazuchi lumbered forward and launched himself clumsily into the air, three more cards shattered. Kamui, Amaterasu, and Suzuka Gongen all shot to Izanagi's side. One by one, they melted into Izanagi's form, though this time their outlines and colours stayed fixed in the light. Take-Mikazuchi was different. Right before the light consumed him, the Persona's dark black form flashed a fiery red, and Kanji felt a rush of lightning down his spine. For an instant, the bond between Persona and owner felt stronger than he could ever remember – then vanished completely with a sudden, searing flash of pain. Izanagi swallowed Take-Mikazuchi whole – Himiko too, from what Kanji could tell - and after that, the blue glow didn't fade.

Kanji glanced at Souji. He had both palms pressed against his skull, eyes screwed shut, as if struggling to handle so much energy. Shit, what if they'd done the wrong thing? Senpai was already hurt. Kanji couldn't really hear or feel Take-Mikazuchi now; it was like Souji had swallowed him up, and all the power that went with him. "Hang in there, Senpai!"

"You can do it!" Chie was still half-hanging from Yukiko's shoulder, but her voice was strong.

Yosuke ran forward and dropped to his knees at Souji's side. "Yeah, we're right here with you!"

Souji's lips pursed around a single syllable. "Per-"

"Keep going, Sensei!"

"-so-"

"Senpai, I believe in you!"

"-_na_!"

The air rippled with energy. Kanji's vision blurred blue and white, and when it cleared, Izanagi was—

No, not Izanagi. Something different. Looked like Izanagi, but his coat was pure white and his naginata was silver and gold. He seemed to radiate an almost blinding light.

In near-silhouette beneath him, Souji raised both hands, palms facing outward. The Persona moved in turn, pushing against Ameno-sagiri's bolt of white-hot energy. In a single smooth motion he spun his weapon, pointed it directly at the monstrous god, electricity crackling the length of the blade – and drove it forward.

The light flared even brighter, blazing through the fog around them. Kanji could barely make out the Megidolaon streak back toward Ameno-sagiri and strike the pupil head-on. There was a high-pitched screech, the sound of glass shattering – and when the light cleared, Ameno-sagiri's outer shell had fragmented into its scales, vivid colours racing over the eyeball inside. It plummeted to the rooftop, but rather than smashing through the concrete, it seemed to sink halfway into it, surrounded by a pool of black Shadow slime.

Izanagi, now back to normal, winked out of existence. Yosuke helped Souji to his feet as what was left of Ameno-sagiri blinked sluggishly at the team.

"_You…have proven the potential of humanity_," it rumbled. Its colours had faded to dull steel grey. "_I will lift the fog from the place you will return to_."

"Keep your word," Souji said, firmly. "Nobody really wanted what you offered."

_"Mankind's desires are my desires. And if mankind desires it, I will return at any time. I will always be watching."_

Was that supposed to be a threat? "Yeah, yeah," Kanji snapped. "And if you do, we'll be waiting."

The eyeball rolled forward once, blinked a final time. "_Farewell, children of the new potential," _it said, then sank completely into the black pool.

The wind had settled, but as Ameno-sagiri disappeared beneath the oily surface, it picked up once more. The patches in the fog around the roof grew wider and wider, till the murky grey had rolled away almost completely to reveal the pale blue sky above. Sunlight filtered down on the group. They all stared up in silence, blinking against the light.

Eventually, Yosuke looked at Souji. "Okay," he asked, slowly, "so how the hell did you do that?"

Souji took a deep, shuddering breath. "...I...have no idea?"

In a single burst, Kanji felt Take-Mikazuchi rush back into him. He caught a blue and white flash to his left - Yukiko summoning Amaterasu, he'd soon realize - and everyone present was enveloped in the warm glow of a Mediarahan, Adachi included.

Souji slowly stood up. Between his fingers he held a bullet that Amaterasu must've driven clean out of his shoulder. In silence, he walked over to Adachi, who was gradually stirring on the floor, and the rest of the team followed.

Chie hopped nervously from foot to foot, brow furrowed as she watched Adachi carefully. "You think that monster was controlling him?"

"I believe it was at least partially his own intention," Naoto said. Her pistol was lowered, but she hadn't holstered it.

Kanji was inclined to believe her. Everything Adachi had said - it was like the crap a Shadow would've spouted, meaning it came from inside him, somewhere. Meaning it was probably the truth. And if it was...

Adachi pushed himself up onto his hands and knees. Blood was still pooled beneath him, but the wounds in his stomach and chest now appeared healed. "Get…outta here. The Shadows will finish me off." He tipped his head, gaze traveling across each of the team. "You did come here to kill me, didn't you?"

It'd been tempting before. Still was. But the team had been in this to stop murders, not commit another one. They didn't _do_ that, and Kanji wasn't sure he ever could. He shook his head. "No, idiot."

"Why do you think I healed you?" Yukiko asked.

Souji stepped forward. "We're _all_ leaving," he said. Adachi stared up at him, wide-eyed, and Senpai held out his hand. "Live, and face your punishment."

* * *

As soon as they were back in the electronics department – an hour after Junes had closed, going by the blue-lit clocks on the dozens of DVD players – Naoto stepped aside to call the police. Exactly how they were going to explain this situation, Kanji had no idea. He figured either Souji or Naoto would come up with something. His attention was firmly on Adachi, who was slumped on his knees and staring at the floor, suit still stained dark red with drying blood, shoulders heaving with each heavy breath.

Two beat cops showed up within ten minutes: one skinny and balding, the other younger and well-built. The balding cop gave Kanji a surprised and very wary look, until he recognized the man in the centre of the group. "A-Adachi-san?"

Adachi lifted his head. A trail of dried blood ran from his nose to his chin. "...Yep. Here to take me away, Matsumoto-san?"

Matsumoto looked at Naoto. "Shirogane said—"

"I bet she did." Adachi raised his hands in front of him, his wrists exposed. "...Get on with it."

"There's an ambulance on the way," Naoto said, then added, quietly, "Dojima-san requested it."

The ambulance took another ten minutes to show, more than enough time for Yosuke's overworked dad to surface from the back offices, wanting to know just what the hell was going on in his store and exactly what Yosuke had to do with it. Hanamura was stuck talking his way out of trouble, same time as Naoto was still spinning some story to two newly-arrived detectives. It would, Kanji figured, be a heck of a lot easier if they could just be honest. But who'd believe them?

He wandered over to Souji, who was tapping at his phone. "Texting Dojima-san?"

"Nope, he hardly ever reads them. I'm contacting Uehara-san," Souji explained. "Apparently Naoto called Uncle too, just as Uehara-san was wrapping up her shift. She wants to know if we need any help." He looked down at the screen, lips curved in a small smile. "Nice to know some adults are on our side."

Kanji shrugged. "Better late than never."

Thankfully they didn't need a nurse. He felt – okay. Exhausted, but okay. Not like he'd felt the other times they'd rolled out the TV lately, bruised and battered. The healing this time seemed to have worked, so maybe clearing the fog had finally fixed whatever had been going on with their Personas. He still wasn't sure exactly what had been going on with that weird red version of Take-Mikazuchi, or how Souji had harnessed the big guy's power - and maybe he wouldn't find out. With the killer caught for real this time, Kanji might never need to summon his Persona again...and there was something kind of sad about that.

By the time the detectives left Naoto alone and Yosuke had temporarily bullshitted his way out of trouble with his old man, Adachi was already on his way to the hospital. The rest of the team had already retreated to a far corner of the electronics department, figuring their slightly scorched and blood-stained clothing might earn some unwanted attention.

"I am in such deep shit," Yosuke muttered, hands shoved in his jacket pockets.

Souji clapped a hand over his shoulder. "Maybe my uncle can talk to your dad later. Let's just head home."

Yosuke rubbed at his face. "Yeah. Fine. Listen, I can't go back to your place with you and Ted." He rolled his eyes. "I have to wait for Dad in the lobby."

Naoto didn't look much happier than Hanamura. As they headed down the escalators, Kanji stood on the step behind her. "Thanks," he said, leaning down. "I mean, for talking to the cops. Getting us outta trouble."

"I doubt they believed a word of it," she muttered. "Fortunately, Dojima-san had already alerted them to Adachi's culpability. Or in their eyes, _potential_ culpability."

Potential. Kanji didn't like the sound of that one bit. But they were nearing the base of the escalators, within sight of the lobby, and his attention was drawn to the glass. Thick fog should've been pressing up against it, like always.

It was clear. Ameno-sagiri had kept its word.

Up ahead, Kanji heard Yosuke whistle. "Whoa."

As one group they raced out of the lobby doors. Kanji barely noticed the blast of cold air. Outside, when he tipped back his head, he could see the streetlamps and the neon Junes sign shining overhead - and high above it all, the stars in the dark and cloudless sky.

* * *

They'd all jabbered excitedly, the girls had kept hugging each other (Naoto deftly ducking away each time), and Souji had grinned twice as wide as Kanji had ever seen and smacked both him and Yosuke on the back. Eventually, they'd calmed down enough to realize that it was both seriously late and seriously cold, and that they'd better all head home before they either froze off their asses or got them roasted by their respective families.

Teddie hadn't got the memo. "Group hug! Group hug!" he trilled, spinning wild circles through the snow, then dove toward Chie and Yukiko. "Chie-chan, Yuki-chan, we'll start! Rise-chan and Nao-chan can join in ay-es-ay-pee!"

"Fine. I'm so happy right now, I'm actually gonna let you do this," Chie said, as Ted threw his arms around her neck. Then he lunged forward, lips puckered expectantly, and she kicked him in the shins. "Ugh, I knew it!"

Yosuke tried to pull Ted away, Yukiko burst out laughing, Rise was too busy talking with Souji to notice – and Naoto was standing off to one side, staring up at the sky. Kanji wandered over to her. "We did good, right?" he said, watching her in profile.

She smiled, though she didn't look at him. "The fog's finally gone."

"Yeah. Makes tonight worth it."

"I wish everything else were solved as thoroughly."

Adachi. It still came back to that asshole in the end, everything he'd done to hurt innocent people and everything he'd put Souji's family through. And it struck Kanji then, that it could've all been settled inside the television; that Naoto had come close to settling it, the moment she'd put the first bullet in Adachi's chest.

"You shot him," Kanji said. "Adachi." Twice, in fact. But Kanji had been just as livid at the bastard, and he knew too well what effect that had. White hot anger blinding him, making him lash out at Sonoda or those thugs or whoever was trying to hurt him or the people he cared about. "I don't blame you or nothin', but would you have – you know."

"Killed him?" Naoto finished, impassive – then let out a quiet breath, a cloud in the cold air. "…I don't know. For a moment, I thought I had."

"Wouldn't have been a big loss," Kanji snorted. "But s'good that you didn't."

"He was about to murder Souji-senpai - and honestly, I was furious with him. I'd prefer to think there was no other choice…" and here, she shook her head, "…but I'm aware how good I am at lying to myself."

She seemed to catch Kanji's eye as she said it, but looked away again so quickly he assumed he'd imagined it. "You ain't alone there," he said. "Thass where all our Shadows came from. Everybody's lying to themselves about something."

Naoto adjusted the brim of her cap. "...Perhaps."

"Of course! All the girls lie about their insurmountable desire for Teddie!" Kanji whirled around to find Ted behind him, eyeing him warily. "Some of the boys, too."

"Get lost, Ted," Kanji growled.

Ted stuck out his tongue. "You just want to hog Nao-chan all to yourself." Then he nodded toward Souji and the girls, who were walking on ahead. "But anyway, Sensei says we're all going home now. Chop chop!"

He grabbed hold of Naoto's arm and, ignoring her halfhearted protests, tugged her down the street toward the group. Kanji glanced up at the sky, took a deep breath of clean, crisp air, and walked after them in long strides.

* * *

**December 23rd, 2011**

"Dude, did you seriously forget?" Yosuke stood on the doorstep of Tatsumi Textiles: arms folded, one eyebrow raised, and his head covered by the type of woolly hat that could've only been bought at Junes. "Souji texted you like an hour ago!"

"I was busy, alright?" said Kanji. That little kid by the river, Takeshi Nakagawa, had a _lot_ of cousins waiting for end-of-year gifts. He'd put in another request for stuffed toys: two rhinoceroses, a panda, and three cats. Kanji had given him the kitties and panda yesterday, but the rhinos were taking a little longer. Figuring out the horns would need extra work. Then there was the koala for Ito-san down the street, and the pink giraffes for—

"Everyone else is already ordering dinner and _I _get sent to drag you out." Yosuke rubbed his hands together and stamped his feet against the cold. "Even Dojima-san already showed. No Naoto, though, at least not when I left. Any idea where she is?"

"Hell would _I _know?"

Yosuke gave him a flat stare. "Kinda late for denial, Kanji. If I had to pick one person who paid constant attention to our pint-size detective..."

And fine, so it was sorta true, but like people needed any more reason to find Kanji creepy. He shoved past Yosuke, almost knocking him off the doorstep. "C'mon, asshat. Let's go."

The fog had cleared, but the snow was still on the ground. At least Aiya wasn't too far to walk in the cold. Also meant he wouldn't have to listen to Hanamura's smart mouth for long. And since Dojima-san was out of hospital and would be at dinner too – making it a sort of 'welcome-back-we did-it-oh-and-there's-no-more-fog' thing - Yosuke would hopefully be on his best behavior. He stayed pretty quiet as he and Kanji walked through the district, snow crunching beneath their feet. Even with the frosty weather, and though it was already dark, there were more people outside today than Kanji had seen in a long while. Maybe things were finally getting back to normal, or as normal as the district had been since Junes rolled in.

As they walked past the old shuttered-up toy shop, Yosuke spoke up. "Oh, right. Souji wanted me to tell you that you're invited to his place on Christmas Eve - unless you have better plans?" His note of curious hopefulness turned the statement into a question. One Kanji didn't particularly feel like answering.

"I'm free," he muttered.

"Figures." Yosuke shoved his hands in his pockets and huddled down against the cold. "But hey, it's not like _any_ of us have dates."

Souji Seta not having a Christmas Eve date? Yosuke had to be wrong. Then again, Souji wouldn't have invited them all over if he'd been planning to hang out with someone else. Kanji wondered whether Rise had gotten round to asking him and if she had, what Senpai had said. It seemed like they had _something_ going on between them, something more than Kanji had seen Souji show with any of his many other admirers, but it was all too tentative to name.

...Huh. Sounded familiar.

Or maybe it was all wishful thinking. Maybe Souji wasn't interested in Rise at all. Souji was so damn hard to read, like he changed from moment to moment, person to person – but the one thing Kanji had been dreading hearing was that Senpai would be spending Christmas Eve with Naoto.

Stupid thought, really. They weren't _that_ close. Were they?

But Naoto was a private person, Souji too, so maybe—

"Hold it, Tatsumi."

Kanji looked up. He and Yosuke were already outside Aiya – and facing two beat cops, one of whom he knew too well. The dick who'd argued with Naoto in the summer then hauled Kanji in after his fight with Sonoda. Kanji couldn't remember the guy's name, but he wore the same look of disdain now as he had that night. He folded his arms. "We got a tip-off saying you were threatening a little kid down by the flood plain yesterday. Taking money from him. Sound familiar?"

Threatening a kid? For money?

...Wait. Takeshi had paid him for the toys. "Oh, right. Him."

"_Dude_," Yosuke hissed.

"So you admit it." The older cop slowly shook his head. "Not a shred of remorse, either."

Hold on. Did they think—

Kanji started forward. "No, y'don't get it, I wasn't threatening him!"

"Okay, then enlighten us. What were you doing?"

_Crap_. Kanji had figured people would eventually hear or figure out exactly who made the toys, but a cop? Word would get all round the station, and any time the police wanted to get on his case it'd be the same crap. Tatsumi, the so-called tough guy who makes cute dolls. Tatsumi, the guy into girly stuff, and what was the natural conclusion from there? When he'd been arrested after brawling with Sonoda, that other cop, Kuroda, had been kind enough to leave the part about the dolls out of his report - precisely because he'd known all the shit that would go down if he didn't.

Kanji gulped. "I was – I-I mean, I—"

"Typical Tatsumi," the older cop cut in, expression cold, severe, and not the slightest bit surprised. "Bullying, starting fights, and now picking on little kids. You're coming to the station."

What was he supposed to do? Just let the assholes haul him in again, this time for something he hadn't even done, would never dream of doing? But he couldn't just bolt, that'd only make things—

"Sawaguchi-san, Ishibashi-san, is there a problem?"

It was Naoto. Kanji hadn't even seen her approaching behind the two cops. She stepped closer, hands clasped behind her back.

The older cop didn't even bother to turn around. "No need to concern yourself, Shirogane."

"It's no trouble, Sawaguchi-san. What's going on?"

"They want Kanji to come to the station," Yosuke explained. "For taking money from a kid by the river or something." He turned to Kanji with a confused frown. "I dunno, big guy, it doesn't sound like you."

"...Was this the same boy as before, on top of the hill?" Naoto asked. Kanji nodded, and she walked around the two cops and turned to face them. "Officers, I can vouch for Tatsumi's innocence. He did meet with that child, but not for the purpose of extortion. I suggest you leave him in peace."

Sawaguchi's eyes narrowed. "Shirogane, I told you, stay out of this. We heard about you and Adachi-san. That you're the reason they arrested him."

"Because he attacked me," Naoto said, calm and cool.

"So you say." Sawaguchi shrugged dismissively. "Where's the proof? Funny how there weren't any witnesses."

Witnesses? _Naoto_ had been a witness. Why would the cops think she was lying? Adachi was the one who'd been stringing them all along, start to finish. Didn't they get that?

"Adachi-san's a good guy," the younger, chubbier cop - Ishibashi - offered, a little timidly. "Kinda scattered, but decent."

Naoto straightened her back, like she wanted to seem a little taller. "I only reported what happened."

"And nobody really believes you." Sawaguchi gave a dismissive shrug. "You know that."

"Why're you giving her shit?" Kanji snapped.

For a beat of silence, Sawaguchi just stared at him. Then, "Listen here—"

"No, _you_ listen. That bastard almost killed her!" Not only Naoto, either, not by a long shot, but Kanji had no idea how to explain that. Calm debate had never been his strong point, particularly when supremely pissed off by some narrow-minded moron cop. "He ain't who you think he is, so back offa her, alright?"

"Kanji-kun." Naoto's voice was low and cautioning.

It made no difference; Kanji was in full flow. "And you wanna know why I was talking with that kid? I made dolls for his family - stuffed frickin' toys! He was giving me money for them!"

Sawaguchi's face twisted into a sneer. "Dolls? _You_ made dolls? What a load of crap. You think I was born yesterday?"

"I ain't lying. I made three cats an' a panda for his cousins," Kanji shot back, counting the dolls off on his fingers, "and there's two more due in a coupla days. Go ahead and laugh! See if I damn well care, I'm used to that crap!"

Sawaguchi stepped closer, head tilted up to stare Kanji in the eye. "Do I look like I'm laughing? I'm not gonna let some punk kid—"

The door to Aiya slid open. Dojima appeared in the doorway, one hand pressed against the frame. "Everything alright?"

Ishibashi, largely quiet until now, cut in almost immediately. "Ah...D-Dojima-san," he managed, straightening up and tucking back his shoulders. "I, uh, thought you were still in hospital?"

"Got out yesterday." Looked like it too, going by the dark circles around Dojima's eyes. "I'm taking a couple of days off before heading back to the station. Now, what's going on with Tatsumi?"

Almost reluctantly, Sawaguchi stepped away from Kanji and turned to face Dojima. "A few cases of bullying have been—"

"He didn't do it."

"But we—"

"Believe me," Dojima said, like it was the final word. He cocked an eyebrow at Sawaguchi. "Now, don't you have better things to do than bother good kids, or do I need to tell Kuroda to switch up your assignments?"

"N-No sir!" Ishibashi stammered, with a deep and clumsy bow. "Sorry, sir!"

Sawaguchi bowed too, though less enthusiastically. "That won't be necessary, sir. We'll – be right along now." Both men left in a hurry, almost scurrying away through the district toward the gas station.

Whoa. A cop – a detective, even – had just bailed Kanji out. And sure, it was Souji's uncle, but Kanji still felt like he'd made some sort of progress since May, proved himself in a way he'd never have thought possible. Didn't quite make up for blurting out one of his big secrets to a cop who hated his guts, but it was something. He turned to Dojima and mustered a grin. "Th-Thanks, Dojima-san."

"No problem. Come on inside," Dojima said, then disappeared back into Aiya. He'd left the door open a crack, probably expecting Yosuke, Naoto, and Kanji to follow.

Yosuke had other ideas. He blinked at Kanji, wide-eyed. "Dude. _Dolls_?"

"Shut your face," said Kanji, offhandedly.

Yosuke opened his mouth again, then miraculously thought better of it and quickly looked at Naoto instead. "Wait a sec, Naoto. Adachi was arrested for attacking you, but not everything else he did?"

Naoto had stayed quiet throughout most of Kanji's outburst. He assumed she hadn't been watching him the whole time like she was now, because the alternative was far too uncomfortable. "We needed a way to press charges quickly while Dojima-san and I try to find something more solid concerning the murders," she said, gaze finally shifting to Yosuke as she spoke. "He's confessed to his involvement in the murders, but in court he could plead not guilty – and with barely any proof, his lawyer would take care of the rest. There's little evidence even that he attacked me."

"They got security cameras in the station, don't they?" Kanji had been in the cop shop enough times to remember them hanging in the corridors and in the corners of the interrogation rooms.

"Ancient cameras that typically aren't loaded with tape. Cost-cutting, of course. That and generalized idleness," Naoto muttered. "Due to a departmental meeting and a sports game, there were no direct witnesses inside the station, and once we were outside the fog was too thick for anyone to observe us. No bullets were found in the parking lot, so ballistic fingerprinting isn't an option...not that I would've expected it to yield specific enough results." Her lips thinned. "There's other evidence we can pursue, but doing so is challenging when opinion is already stacked in favour of Adachi."

"Ugh. Just when I thought the cops in this town couldn't get any more usele—" Yosuke winced and glanced toward Aiya's cracked open door. "Annnd I probably shouldn't say that so close to Dojima-san. I'm going inside before I shove my foot further in my mouth."

He sidled past Kanji, pulled the door open further, and walked inside the shop. As Naoto moved to follow, Kanji laid a hand on her shoulder. "S'really that bad?" he asked.

Naoto's sigh wasn't much more than a quiet breath. "...It may improve once Dojima-san returns to the station. He's well-trusted, and his words will carry far more weight than my own." She'd been looking away, but now her eyes met Kanji's, topped by a reproving frown. "What those officers think of me is inconsequential and you're already a troublemaker in the eyes of the police. You didn't need to stand up for me."

Maybe she was right. He already had a black mark from the Inaba police force. In retrospect, it'd been kinda stupid to wade in - but Kanji had never let that stop him, especially when it came to Naoto. Besides, she'd done the same damn thing to try to get him out of trouble, even if he'd ended up telling those cops way more than he'd intended because of it. "You had my back," he told her. "I got yours too."

Naoto hesitated, still looking up at him. Just before the point where it would've gotten uncomfortable, she gave a quick nod. "...Thank you."

She hadn't smiled as she said it, but Kanji couldn't help a slightly awkward one of his own. "No worries."

* * *

**December 24th, 2011**

The snow had started falling at around six, in light flakes that whirled through the pools of light created by the shopping district's streetlamps. Kanji had occasionally glanced at it through his bedroom window as he sat at his sewing table, working on Takeshi's dolls. The non-custom ones he'd made for the shop had proved popular too: cute, inexpensive end-of-year gifts sold well. If he finished up his orders tonight, he could maybe start work on a few extras, bring a little more money in for his next proj—

…Crap. He was supposed to be at Souji's in less than an hour. He'd almost forgotten, and sort of wished he had. It might be fun to hang out with the guys, but all he could think was that he'd rather be spending Christmas Eve with someone else. Someone who was probably off working at the police station or studying at home (but apparently not spending the evening with Souji, Kanji thought, with a flood of guilty relief.)

Everything was pretty quiet outside, so he caught the sound of the shop bell ringing below. He just didn't think anything of it until Ma called out from the base of the stairs. "Kanji-chan! You have a visitor, come down!"

Visitor? Had Souji sent Yosuke over to haul Kanji out again? Guy didn't live all that nearby. Or maybe it was Rise coming to bug him out of boredom, though Kanji thought she'd mentioned going to the springs with Yukiko and Chie. He set down his sewing, then walked out of the room and down to the shop floor, wondering who else would have any reason to come see him.

Naoto hadn't made the list.

She tipped her cap, a few unmelted flakes of snow still visible on the brim. "Hello, Kanji-kun."

"What're you doin' here?" he blurted.

A hand smacked against his back. "_Kanji-chan_," Ma scolded, then turned to Naoto. "It's lovely to see you again, Naoto-kun."

"And you, Tatsumi-san. I hope you are well." Pleasantries complete, Naoto switched her gaze and attention to Kanji. It wasn't a bad feeling, but – as usual – not necessarily a good one, either. "I – was just passing by," she said, haltingly, "and thought I'd – say hello."

Behind him, he heard Ma's footsteps heading through the door to the back of the shop. "I'll be in the back, dears. Please keep an eye out for any customers, Kanji-chan."

"Yeah. Sure." Kanji hadn't bothered to look back, unwilling and unable to take his eyes off Naoto. "Uh. S'cool. Sayin' hello," he told her, trying to ignore his mental commentary of _oh hell this is awkward why does everything with Naoto have to be so awkward what am I even meant to say. _"I, uh, figured you'd be working?"

Naoto's gaze dropped. "I'd intended to. But given the currently disheartening nature of my work concerning Adachi, I-I thought it would be pleasant to see - a friend." Before Kanji's mind had time to spin pirouettes over exactly what 'friend' meant, she quickly continued. "I've also been thinking about our most recent trip inside the television. You took good care of me during my concussion. Without you, I might not have made it out."

No way. Thoughts like that were too much to stand - and he didn't even need to _have_ them, anyway, because he'd never, ever let that kind of thing happen. Kanji rolled his shoulders and ran a hand through his hair. "Like I said with those cops, we got each other covered. Out here and in there."

"Perhaps so...but I didn't acquit myself well. From what I remember, all I did was lead us in circles." Her eyes met his with a look of mild embarrassment. "I apologize for that."

He shrugged again. "You got your head smashed in, man. Surprised you remembered your own name."

She gave a small nod. There was a long pause before she took a deep breath and spoke. "There are…_other_ things I recall. Vaguely."

It'd been pretty bad getting stuck underground like that. The less she remembered, the better. Kanji frowned down at her. "Yeah?"

Naoto wasn't looking at him. Under the brim of her cap, he could glimpse what looked like a faint blush.

Uh-oh.

She straightened her back, still not looking at him, and stammered, "You – I-I heard you say I was important. Wh-What exactly did you mean?"

...Oh, _crap_. He hadn't even realized she was listening at the time, had figured she was out cold again, and even afterward he'd told himself it was fine, she'd hit her head so hard she'd never remember any of it, and—

"Kanji-kun? I want an answer."

Never mind a 'faint blush'; Kanji could feel his entire head turn the colour of a ripe pomegranate. What the hell was he supposed to tell her? "I – I –"

The next moment, and just as he seriously started to worry about choking on his own tongue, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He fumbled around and fished it out, pointedly ignoring the shake in his hand. Souji's name was on-screen, and Kanji flipped the phone open. "Y-Yo, Senpai."

_"Hey, just wanted to remind you about tonight. You're still coming over, right?"_

"I - I dunno. H-Hold on." He lowered the phone from the side of his head and forced himself to look down at Naoto. "H-Hey."

"Is...something wrong?"

"I'm, uh, s'posed to be going to Senpai's soon," he said, then realized, given the date, exactly how that might sound. "But not just me! Yosuke and Ted'll be there too!"

Naoto glanced away. She was trying to keep her expression neutral, but Kanji recognized the hint of disappointment. "Ah. I see. But—" She stopped, and the line of her shoulders stiffened. "I should be going."

"No – no. Wait." Kanji raised the phone to his ear again. "Hey, Senpai, s'alright if Naoto comes along?"

_"Uh, sure, but don't you think—"_

"Great! See ya soon." He shut the phone, slipped it back in his pocket, and shot Naoto what he hoped was a reassuring grin. "See, s'fine."

He'd figured he'd done a good thing, but she didn't look pleased. "You shouldn't have asked," she told him, frowning. "I don't wish to be an unwelcome addition."

Like anyone would consider Naoto unwelcome. Unless they were nuts. Which Souji, Yosuke and Ted totally weren't, though Kanji did tend to go back and forth on the last one. Asking her along might bite him in the ass later, when he still hadn't answered her question and had no idea whether he even should, but shit, she'd come here to see him, she'd more or less said she wanted to hang with a friend, what type of jerk would he be if he turned her away?

Yeah, this was totally the best idea. Maybe.

Kanji gave the firmest nod he could muster and said, "You stopped by to see me. It'd be a dick move to bail straight off." He ran a hand through his hair. "And I – I wanna hang out with you, y'know?"

For a second, Naoto just looked up at him, like she wanted to say something else. Like she wanted to ask him that same question all over again, Kanji thought with a sickening rush – just before she glanced away, toward the shop door. "Very well," she said. "Then we shouldn't keep Senpai and the others waiting, correct?"

* * *

The brief bus ride to Souji's place was still slightly awkward. The problem wasn't what they said, since they stuck to discussing the TV world (mostly Naoto's developing theories about where it'd come from and exactly what Ameno-sagiri's intentions had been) and Kanji's next sewing project (a scaled set of mini-Personas, complete with TV backlot diorama). It just all felt stilted, weighed down by all the stuff they weren't saying – which wasn't all that different from normal, but was made worse by Naoto's earlier question. She hadn't asked again. Kanji sure as hell wasn't going to bring it up himself either, and he was grateful when they'd reached the right stop and walked the short distance to Souji's house.

He knocked on the door, turned to glance back at Naoto, then almost fell off the step as Teddie flung the door wide open. "Kanji-chan! Nao-chan!"

Kanji flailed briefly in an effort to keep his balance. "Yo, watch it!"

From just behind the genkan, Yosuke tipped his thumb toward the interior of the house. "Hey guys. C'mon in, it's cold."

"Nao-chan, you've saved us!" Ted jumped in the air with his fists raised, almost catching both Yosuke and Souji in the face. "Our Christmas Eve sausage party isn't all sausage!"

As Naoto's cheeks flushed an impressive shade of red, Souji shot Yosuke a wide-eyed glare. "Do I even _want_ to know where he learned that?"

"Okay, Ted, back inside!" Yosuke grabbed Ted's frilly collar and yanked him back from the door. "You're missing the movie!"

While Yosuke hauled Ted back into the Dojimas' living room, Naoto shuffled awkwardly on the front step, clutching her arm across herself. "If my presence would make things awkward, then—"

Smiling down at her, Souji shook his head. "Nah. We're just watching bad movies and eating junk food." He glanced between her and Kanji, one eyebrow quirked. "Lousy Christmas Eve date, though."

"It's not a date," Kanji and Naoto shot back in unison.

Why would Senpai even _think_ that? Like Naoto would ever just walk up and ask Kanji out. Like Kanji would ever work up the guts to ask _her_, he thought dismally. It didn't help that Souji didn't look like he believed either of them one bit. "Ah. Sorry, my mistake," he said.

The next instant, as if a quick change of subject might mean Souji's question had never happened, Naoto raised the folder in her hand. It was the same one she'd been carrying when she arrived at the shop. "Um, is there somewhere quiet I could work?"

Seemed kind of weird to work at a party, but then again, this was Naoto. Souji didn't seem surprised either, and he gestured toward the stairs behind him. "My room's the only one with a desk. Upstairs, first on the right."

Naoto looked momentarily scandalized by this, but gave a quick, firm nod and a mumbled thanks before moving by Souji and disappearing up the staircase.

Naoto in Senpai's room. Just the idea rubbed Kanji up all wrong – which was petty and dumb and kind of pathetic, when all she was gonna do was sit at his fricking desk. Petty, dumb, pathetic...deep down, Kanji knew this summed up way too much about his attitude toward the relationship between her and Souji, whatever it was. He needed to talk to Senpai about it, man-to-man. Maybe tonight was right for that, he thought – then noticed Souji giving him a pointed stare.

Souji shook his head. "You didn't have to come over if you guys were—"

"No, it ain't like that!" Kanji blurted, because Senpai _still_ had the wrong idea. Naoto didn't even know Kanji liked her yet, probably wouldn't realize if he painted it on the side of Junes in six-metre-high neon characters, so the chances of them having a Christmas date? Zero. "Naoto was just – stopping by." And okay, that'd come out kind of lame, so he quickly added, "It's not that sorta Christmas Eve thing, you know?"

Souji blinked at him. "You sure?"

Pretty sure. Mostly sure. Anything else would just be wishful thinking, and liking Naoto was difficult enough without indulging in that kind of crap. "It didn't start as a date, an' I'm not gonna try and turn it into one," Kanji insisted as he kicked off his shoes and shrugged out of his coat. "And I wasn't gonna send her home by herself, Christmas Eve or not."

"You're giving Kanji waaaay too much credit, partner." Yosuke was flopped on the living rom sofa and staring listlessly at the television. "He's as dateless as the rest of us."

"Nobody in their right mind would wanna go anywhere with you," Kanji snapped. "But ain't you got plans, Souji-senpai?"

Yosuke rolled his eyes. "_Romeo's_ had three girls text him already."

"I couldn't spend today with one of them even if I wanted to," Souji said, with a quiet sigh. "I'd spend a week talking my way out of trouble with the rest."

"Easily solved!" Teddie looked up from his position on the floor: flat on his stomach and less than an arm's length from the television screen. "Tell them Sensei's one hot stud and that they'll just have to share!"

"They probably would," Yosuke grumbled, arms folded.

"Rise text you too?" Kanji asked Souji.

Again, Senpai raised an eyebrow. "That's kind of personal, Kanji."

Fair enough. Kanji had just been hoping that—well, didn't matter. Maybe Rise _had _texted Souji and he'd turned her down same as the rest. Not wanting to think about it further, Kanji sat down at the low table and tried to pay attention to the movie: some sort of weird horror-baseball mash-up. Ted kept asking questions about the plot, Yosuke and Souji were too busy making fun of it to answer, and Kanji was too distracted to follow much at all. Things didn't improve as the evening rolled on, and as Yosuke was loading the DVD for the next film – a kung-fu flick he'd probably hassled Chie into lending him - Kanji tapped Souji on the knee and nodded toward the kitchen. "Senpai, can we talk?"

Souji looked a little confused, but stood from the sofa all the same. "Sure."

They moved to the kitchen table, each of them sitting either side. Kanji was careful to wait until the DVD started playing before he spoke. "You an' Naoto," he said, in a low voice. "You like her?"

Souji didn't say anything. Which was proof enough, right?

Kanji swallowed hard. "'Cause you can tell me. I-I'll step off. I know I ain't—" He stopped, inhaled deeply, and let out a breath. "You're better. You're always gonna be better."

Wasn't a new thought, yet saying it out loud hurt way more than he'd expected. But he meant it at the same time. Souji was his senpai, one of his best friends, a stand-up guy who'd saved his life. Naoto was – Naoto, and everything that went with that. If they were gonna be together, Kanji would just have to—

Souji shook his head. "Don't say that."

"But you _are_. You're—everyone thinks you're amazin', Naoto included."

"What makes you think I'm competition?"

_You're not, not really, because I'd never stand a chance._ "You and her hang out. You spent all that time planning to take down Adachi – an' the way she _is_ around you, sometimes, it's—" The sentence ended in another hard swallow. "You know what I'm talking about, right?"

"I don't know if I…" Souji began, then hesitated. He pressed two fingers against his forehead – like he was frustrated, maybe, or just tired. "Kanji, it isn't that simple. There were things I had to do - or _be_, I guess. And sometimes, that—it made it hard to know what I wanted, or whether that even mattered. I've got three girls wanting to date me on Christmas Eve, more leaving me gifts at school, and – I never really _wanted_ most of it to happen. I just needed it to. And then...people started walking away when it did." He sighed, then rested his chin on his palm and offered Kanji a small, sheepish smile. "Naoto probably made more sense with concussion, right?"

Much as Kanji didn't want to admit it, Senpai was right. Kanji shrugged and settled for, "She likes you."

"I admit my relationship with her is…different. I've relied on her." Souji shifted against his chair, expression suddenly pensive. "In a lot of ways, we relate to each other."

"Well, yeah. You're both seriously smart."

For some reason, Senpai actually chuckled at that. "Maybe that's part of it. But you're all special to me in different ways." He paused, studying Kanji carefully. "Naoto cares about you."

Kanji ducked his head in an effort to fight off the heat rushing to his face. "Dunno 'bout that."

"She jumped in a TV after you," Souji said, simply. "What more proof do you need?"

Ever since that'd happened he'd been desperately trying not to read too much into it, telling himself Naoto would've done it for any of them, that it hadn't meant anything more than one teammate looking out for the other. Sometimes that'd worked. Others, he'd wondered just how badly he was kidding himself. "Guess so," he mumbled, then looked up at Souji. "But she cares 'bout you a whole ton too. Everyone does."

Souji smiled again, knowingly this time, but with a melancholy edge Kanji might've missed for blinking. "Especially Rise, right?"

"She's _nuts_ about you. You got no idea."

"Believe it or not, I do." A pause. "For the record, she didn't text me."

Kanji had no idea what to make of that. He stared down at his hands, palms flat on the table. "...Oh."

Both he and Souji fell silent. Kanji could hear the sound of the movie playing in the living room – two dudes yelling, then a bunch of exaggerated _thwacks_ and _thuds_. It didn't seem like either Yosuke or Ted had heard the conversation. He wasn't sure why he thought they would've, with such a racket in the background, but then he'd been half-convinced Naoto had heard it all too, paranoid as that sounded.

Finally, Souji spoke. "Just go for it, Kanji," he said, low but firm. "I can't make any decisions yet, not until I know who I really am...and the type of bonds I want to make for myself." Then, without hesitation, "And for the record – I wouldn't, with Naoto. Even if it turned out she—" He shook his head. "I don't think I could do that to you."

You couldn't turn feelings on or off like a tap. Kanji knew that all too well – but Souji was anything but a liar, and his word would be good enough. "Thanks, Senpai. I mean it."

"I do too." Souji glanced at the stairwell. "You know, she's probably feeling kind of awkward."

Kanji frowned at him. "Didn't think anyone'd mind if she came over."

"I'm fine with it, Ted loves company, and I think part of Yosuke's always going to see her as one of the guys. But I'm not sure Naoto sees it that way. Maybe you should talk to her."

Naoto had said she'd be working. Probably meant she didn't want to be bothered, Kanji thought, but found himself standing from the table and walking over to the stairs all the same. He'd just check on her. Senpai had practically ordered him to do it, right?

He was a little surprised to find her sitting against the wall at the top of the staircase, still clutching the folder full of notes, her cap on the floor at her side. She nodded to him, looking slightly surprised to see him in turn, and he climbed the stairs toward her. "Thought you were in Senpai's room?" he said.

"I'm taking a break. I – thought I might listen in on the movie."

"Why don't y'join us?"

"It's not…" Naoto bit her bottom lip and looked away. "I…feel like I'd be intruding. It isn't the same as when you all believed me to be male."

"No. It ain't," he admitted. "Should be, but it ain't."

"That was why I decided to work instead." She looked down at the plastic folder in her lap. "I was reviewing reports on our potential evidence."

He carefully stepped around her and sat down at her side. The landing was too narrow to stretch out his legs, leaving them awkwardly bent to fit. "You're really working hard on this."

"I have to. Adachi must pay for his crimes."

"And he will, right?" Kanji asked – though part of him already knew the answer, and didn't like it. "I mean, we did it, we took him down."

"In the other world. It may not count for anything in the real one." Naoto tipped her head back against the wall, eyes closed. "I'm just so _sick_ of this," she muttered, ending in a brief sigh. "Poring over a paltry collection of evidence and realizing he could well walk away from everything. Enduring the comments and attitudes of the police, particularly now that they know I'm the one pressing charges against him."

"Why're they givin' you such a hard time?"

"Adachi came across as very likable. Friendly with everyone. I – did not. Dojima-san and Kuroda-san have said they believe my reports, but the other members of the force..." She shook her head. "Essentially, they'll never accept me. I can't even blame it solely on being –" she hesitated "- female. I know that only makes it _worse_…but the situation has been the same everywhere I've worked, boy or girl, and I – I wonder how much of that is my fault. Whether acceptance is something I will never attain and do not deserve."

"_I _accept you," Kanji blurted without thinking – but it was true, and what was the harm in telling her? "I ain't a cop, so maybe it don't count for as much, but – y-you said you accepted me, before, when I got hauled in over Sonoda. So, it – it goes both ways, y'know?" So many things did between them, now. Each looking out for the other. He wasn't sure when or how they'd fallen into that, or how much it really counted.

He glanced at Naoto. She was giving him a strange look, somehow mixing curiosity with melancholy with something else that he couldn't pinpoint. "Do you mean that?" she asked.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, yeah. Wouldn't say it otherwise."

Naoto didn't say anything to that. She just stared down at her hands instead, now gripping the folder so tightly that the blood had drained from her knuckles. Kanji was trying not to watch her too closely, but he still saw her open her mouth slightly, as if to speak, then close it again. Several long moments passed before she finally found her voice. "You…never answered my question. About why I'm important."

…Oh, hell. Just when you thought you'd dodged a bullet.

Kanji gulped. "...Right. That."

Another long, long pause.

"I want the truth," Naoto said, softly. "Please."

Kanji's first impulse was to deny everything, because she didn't want the truth, not really, not when it'd change so many things; _damage_ them, maybe beyond repair. But then again, didn't he owe it to her to be honest?

Dammit, there was no reason for this to be so difficult. He'd fought a fricking god, so why was he so shit-scared of someone whose head didn't even reach his chin? Kanji tensed his fingers against his knees. "I – see, the thing is –" But this was going nowhere and Naoto was still watching him. He tightened his jaw, gaze fixed firmly on the floor ahead of him, and tried again. "M-My answer's gonna change things. It'll – make them really shitty and a million times more awkward and I_ seriously_ don't want that."

"Wh-What could you possibly say that would change things so drastically?" he heard Naoto ask, and he snapped his head toward her.

"You really ain't figured it out?" And he knew she hadn't, of course he knew, but part of him had still always wondered just how clueless she really was. "You're s'posed to be an ace detective and you ain't _noticed_?"

Naoto stared at him, all wide, blue-grey eyes. "Noticed what."

"I – I _like_ you, dammit!"

It was out. The words he'd guiltily dreamt of saying in more ways and scenarios than he could remember, full well knowing it was wrong. Pointless, too, when even in his imaginings Naoto had never felt the same way. She'd recoiled from him, run away, gone silent, a whole bunch of negative reactions; none of them real, but each one still a knife in his gut. And he knew he'd imagined enough of them to cover any reaction she would have right now – except none of his predictions had included a stiff nod, followed by a quiet, unsteady, "S-Since when."

Not even a question. More like – and Kanji's stomach twisted at the thought – she was confirming something she already suspected. Not clueless at all, then. The part of him that was ready and willing to bolt made him clench his fists on reflex. He forced himself to loosen them, to at least _try_ to relax, like that was possible during one of the single most terrifying moments in his life, and took a deep breath. "F-First time we met," he said, as firm and level as he could manage. "An' the feeling's just gotten bigger and bigger."

He'd expected some sort of response, but Naoto seemed to have frozen at his side. She stared straight ahead, not moving a muscle.

At a loss, he kept going. "And you're my friend, or I think you are – or shit, maybe you _were_, maybe now you'll never talk to me again, but thass why I didn't wanna say anything, because I knew you wouldn't feel the same way back and—"

"Kanji. Stop."

With that, Naoto finally looked back at him.

It seemed to take an age just for either of them to move - and when they finally did, it started out less like a kiss, and more both of them leaning in and hoping for the best. Their noses bumped slightly, their teeth jarred together, they were still side-by-side on the cramped landing in Souji Seta's uncle's house, and it wasn't much at all how Kanji had imagined his first real kiss might be.

It was _better_.

He felt hot, light-headed, and completely out of his depth. Naoto's mouth was soft against his, hesitant and awkward with it, and somehow through his terror – shit, what if he was a bad kisser, what if she wasn't enjoying this, what if it broke everything – he managed to lift a shaky hand to cup the back of her head, his fingers brushing through her short hair and holding her against him. She was still gripping that damn folder, it was pretty clear neither of them had any experience, and even sitting down the height difference was enough to crick his neck a little. The whole thing was just _clumsy_ – but it didn't matter, because he was finally, after all this time, kissing Naoto.

Then she jerked sharply away.

Kanji blinked at her, breathless and confused. He'd screwed it up, just like he'd figured, but which part? "Wha—"

Red-faced and already turned to the side, Naoto grabbed her cap from the floor. "I-I have to go."

"Hey, don't—" he started – but she was on her feet and halfway down the stairs. As he pulled himself up, ready to follow, he could hear Yosuke saying something, then the sound of the front door opening. He reached the bottom of the stairs just in time to see it close again. Naoto's coat was missing from the hooks on the wall, and her boots were gone from the genkan.

Yosuke was standing in the hallway, like he'd tried to catch her before she left. "Wow, Tatsumi, what did you—"

Kanji shoved past him, opened the door, and ran outside.

The snow was still falling, a few flakes settling on the pavement despite the scattered grit. He heard the crunch of Naoto's boots before he reached the street and caught sight of her rapidly disappearing form. "Naoto!" he yelled, bolting after her. "Naoto, wait!"

She was quick, always had been, but he had the benefit of longer legs. She must've realized he was keeping pace with her, because she stopped and turned to face him.

"G-Go back inside," she said, unsteadily. Even in the streetlight he could tell she was shaking, and he doubted it was the cold. "You're not even wearing your shoes."

"I don't frickin' care! Why're you running?"

"I –" she started, then rubbed a hand over her mouth, wide eyes looking anywhere but at him. "You – you said – a-and then we –"

"I know." He swallowed in an effort to steady his voice. "Y-You wish we hadn't, right?"

"I just—" She stopped, closed her eyes for a moment, opened them again. "I – don't know what to do now. I-I don't know what to think."

Desperation tugged at him. It was freezing out, his socked feet had started to hurt, but he couldn't just go back inside, not without finding a way to fix things. "Just – wait here for me, yeah?" he tried. "I'll get my stuff and we – we'll go t'gether. We can talk."

A pause that seemed to stretch out for minutes. Then Naoto shook her head. "No. No, we can't. I'm sorry."

She turned and ran down the street. Kanji stared after her even after she'd vanished into the dark, his heartbeat hammering, his stomach twisting. He gulped again - forcing down the lump in his throat, hoping he'd choke down the urge to follow with it - then, at a loss, turned around and walked back inside the house.


	41. Chapter 30

_Quite a few reviews last time. Almost as if you guys had been waiting for something. _

_...Can't imagine what, though._

_This one is a bit shorter. Also possibly infuriating. Next will be a Naoto interlude. _

_Thanks to the reviewers (PSKira, The Gray Phantom, MFG, anonymous guests) whom I can't respond to via messages, and to Tempest Kiro, who pointed out an error in my understanding of the Japanese legal system. Also, to MFG – don't worry, I haven't abandoned this story. My updates just tend to be slow due to time constraints (plus the previous chapter was hugely long)  
_

_Story so far: The team took down Ameno-sagiri in Super-Persona style. Kanji and Naoto responded by (as usual) hedging around each other, then (not as usual) sharing an awkward kiss at Souji's Christmas not-quite-party, after which Naoto ran away._

_In this part: A snowman, a fist-fight by the river, an uncomfortable shrine visit – and a long train ride out of Inaba._

* * *

**December 24th 2011**

He hadn't stayed at Souji's place afterward. There was no way he could_. _He'd gone straight home instead, traipsed back through the snow in a numb, shattered sort of silence, trying to ignore the heavy feel of his cellphone in his pocket. Hoping it might ring anyway, that Naoto would call or text or do _something_ to help him start to pick up the pieces. Three hours on, close to midnight, she still hadn't contacted him.

Kanji had already sent two texts, both variations on _are you okay, talk to me_. No answer. It'd seemed like the only thing he could do at the time, but now he felt stupid and lame and desperate just for sending them. That feeling didn't stop him from grabbing his phone again, tapping through the address book for Naoto's name, and dialing her number. The phone rang too many times, his stomach sinking a little further with each one, and soon the call clicked over to her voicemail.

_"This is Naoto Shirogane. I'm unavailable right now, but please leave a message."_

Short and to the point. Kanji would've liked to keep his own response the same, but a strange, corkscrewing feeling started up in his gut midway through her recorded greeting and quickly spiraled up to his throat. "H-Hi," he stumbled. "S'me. We gotta talk. I-I know you probably don't want to, but I - I want us to fix things, y'know?" A swallow, so hard he was sure she'd hear it on playback. "I'm - I'm not—I didn't mean to—" But that wasn't true. He _had_ meant to kiss her. He stopped, swore under his breath, regretted it almost immediately. "S-Sorry. I just - call me back, yeah?"

After that, he quickly hung up, knowing he'd ramble on for minutes if he didn't and that he'd only say the same thing over and over. Ball was in Naoto's court now. Better to just forget it. He still took his phone with him to the bathroom when he cleaned himself up; held it in his hand as he changed out of his day clothes; and kept it beside him as he lay sprawled on the bed, unable to sleep for the drawn-out, burning ache in his chest.

* * *

**December 25th 2011**

Yosuke glanced over his shoulder at the girls in the kitchen, then ducked his head and whispered, "So what the heck happened?"

"Nothing," Kanji said, drumming his fingers against the table in front of him.

The party at the Dojimas' should've been fun – a big celebration of the fog finally vanishing, the case being kind-of solved, and Nanako being allowed to visit home – but it was already shaping up to be one of his most awkward experiences to date. The saving grace was that the girls had roped Naoto into helping them create something that might one day hope to pass for a cake, meaning she was busy in the kitchen.

She'd shown up late, and then only after a barrage of text messages from Rise. Kanji had half-expected her to skip out completely. Guilty as it made him feel, he wished she had. Better that than them being in the same room while she pretended he didn't exist. She hadn't even looked at him as she walked in the house; had made a point of _not_ looking, with her cap tipped down and her gaze fixed firmly on the kitchen counter.

"No, seriously," Yosuke persisted. "Something happened. Like, 'run-off-into-the-night' something."

Hanamura's heart was probably in the right place, but shit, Kanji didn't want to deal with this right now. He shot a quick glance at Naoto, who was making a desperate grab for the container of wasabi paste in Rise's hand, then shook his head. "Don't matter," he said, and, in an effort to change the subject, turned to Nanako. "Hey, Nanako-chan, you doing better now?"

Nanako gave a firm nod. Soon as Dojima had brought her inside, she'd homed in on Souji and tucked herself in close beside him at the table. "Much better. And the new kotatsu is great!"

Yosuke let out an exaggerated sigh, loud enough that Dojima looked up from his newspaper on the sofa. "Yeah. When I'm face-down on the table after my first bite of cake, I'll take comfort in the warmth."

Mystery Food X, Christmas edition. Like today didn't suck enough. If Kanji were more inclined toward melodrama, he would've thought the girls poisoning him might be a good thing.

...Fine, maybe he did. Just a little.

"You should thank Souji and Hanamura, Nanako-chan," Dojima said. "They bought the kotatsu yesterday so it'd be all ready for you."

Nanako beamed at Souji and Yosuke in turn. "Thanks!" Then her smile faded. "Sorry I wasn't there too. If I'd gotten better sooner, we could've all chosen it together."

Souji squeezed her shoulder. "Don't worry. It came from Junes, so when it breaks next week we can pick out another."

"Hey!" Yosuke protested.

Attention still on Nanako, Souji ignored him. "Will you be okay sitting with Teddie and Yosuke for a bit?" he asked her.

"No problem, Big Bro!"

"Good girl." Souji stood from the table, eyes on Kanji, and tipped his head toward the front door. "C'mon, Kanji, let's step outside."

The request – order, even, with that easy yet commanding tone Kanji had heard dozens of times before – brought him up short. He found himself standing from the table almost automatically, and walked over to the door to slip on his shoes.

It wasn't snowing out, but the air was still chilly even through his thick sweater. He watched Souji close the door and lean against the wall, hands tucked in his pockets. "So," Souji asked. "What happened last night?"

Great. Now Senpai was starting too. "Nothin'."

"'Nothing' doesn't make people bolt down stairs and out of the house, or make other people run after them." Souji was clearly pushing, but gently. It still didn't stop Kanji tensing, a sudden tightness that seemed to pull through his shoulders and down his back. "You can tell me the truth, Kanji."

The truth? Where did he even start? _I screwed it all up, Naoto freaked the hell out, now we probably aren't even friends_. Kanji stopped, swallowed to steady his voice, and decided on the simplest, most honest answer. "W-We kissed. Then she ran."

Souji blinked at him. "Huh."

"...Huh what?"

"I – uh, didn't think you'd get that far, to be honest." He rubbed the back of his head, looking a little sheepish. "I mean, it's been _months_."

"You told me to go up there an' talk to her!" Kanji snapped, frustrated and fierce, unable to catch himself in time. Railing off at someone who'd only been trying to help, in the end. He rubbed a hand over his face, then let out a long breath. "Sorry."

Several moments passed, with Senpai just watching him – weighing him, even – before Souji's gaze dropped to the ground. "Yeah, I did."

It wasn't Souji's fault. It wasn't even Naoto's, really, because how could it be? Meaning it had to be Kanji's. Process of elimination - and wouldn't Naoto be proud of him for thinking like that – but which part had he'd gotten so badly wrong? The part when he'd kissed her? When he'd confessed to her? When he'd let himself believe for one lousy second that she might feel the same way back? He gulped past a tight knot in his throat, trying to fight off the sharp heat pricking at the corners of his eyes. "And now she won't even _look_ at me, and I-I don't get where I messed up. I – she kissed back, y'know? It wasn't like I—"

"I know," Souji cut in, hand raised. "I'd never think any different."

At least that was a relief. In recent years, people had always assumed the worst of Kanji, and he couldn't stand the idea that anyone would think he'd do something Naoto didn't want, much less the thought of actually _doing_ it. Except maybe she hadn't wanted it, after all. Maybe it'd been a mistake, a split-second lapse that'd caused him to lose not only someone he was in love with, but also one of his few close friends. Maybe she'd wanted Souji all along, even if he hadn't felt the same way back. Or who knew, maybe she'd snap out of the whole thing in a couple of days. Pretend like it'd never happened, go back to the same back-and-forth of tension and obliviousness she and Kanji had stewed in before.

Kanji wasn't sure which option was worse.

"Don't tell the others," he blurted, with a glance back at the front door – as if everyone would be all crammed up against it on the other side, listening in. "I just wanna forget about it."

Souji's eyebrows arched. "You do?"

"Yeah." Kanji said it as firmly as he could, like that would somehow make it easy, make it real. "Naoto does too."

"Have you asked her?"

He hadn't needed to fake certainty on that one. "She's ignored me since we - since last night. S'all the answer I need."

Souji opened his mouth, to say what Kanji had no idea - then snapped it shut again as the front door flew open.

Teddie barreled out of the house, bundled up in coat and hat and gloves. "Sensei! Nana-chan says that while we're waiting for the cake, you can help me build a snowman for her!" He glanced at Kanji, and his mouth curved into a bright grin. "Kanji-chan can help too."

Shit, had he heard everything that—no, no. This was Ted. Wouldn't matter if he'd listened in or not. Kanji forced a smile. "Alright, sounds good."

They went further down the street and salvaged what snow they could from the drifts along the sides of the houses. The grit had melted a good chunk of it and the rest was a little too powdery to pack well, but they still managed to fashion a small, sort-of-snowman, and Ted didn't seem any less thrilled. Yosuke soon showed up, armed with spare buttons and stones and other junk suitable for decoration, and at the end, Souji took off his scarf and slipped it round the snowman's neck. And it'd felt really _nice_, just doing something that took Kanji's mind off everything, especially with the promise of hot cocoa and tea afterward (and a cake that, you never knew, might not actually kill anyone). It wasn't until they all went back inside the house and his gaze briefly caught Naoto's – both of them averting their eyes a split-second later - that he remembered.

"Yo, Nanako-chan," he called, before he'd taken off his shoes and gloves. "Wanna come see your snowman?"

Nanako was still a little unsteady on her feet, but quickly made her way to the door. Ted, of course, wanted to go straight back out too. As the two of them got dressed in their outdoor clothes, Kanji stood in the genkan, tried to pretend he hadn't noticed Souji studying him, and kept his eyes firmly away from Naoto.

* * *

**December 27th, 2011**

There'd been no fresh snowfall over the past couple of days, so what was left on the ground looked muddy and iced-over. Being a popular route home from Yasogami High, the path down by the riverbank was particularly riddled with footprints. Fortunately, at this time in the early evening it was mostly deserted.

Kanji had hung around at school later than normal, not because of sewing club or getting bitched out by the teachers, but because of Naoto. She'd stayed in the faculty office for at least half-an-hour for who knew what reason, and he should've just packed up his stuff and gone straight home - had told himself he _would_, the whole time he'd spent standing near the lockers in the first-floor corridor, waiting for Naoto to come by. He'd just wanted to talk. Straighten stuff out. Figure out if they were still friends, though he doubted that one. But when Naoto had finally surfaced from the office – looking as tired and pale as if she'd just rolled out of a long stint in the TV world – he'd chickened out. Walked away from the lockers and stood further down the corridor, then inspected the wall till he'd heard her push open the main door and step out into the schoolyard.

...What the hell was up with him? Moping around over her, then being too chickenshit to even ask for a straight answer? Kanji aimed a kick at a clump of frozen snow. Unfortunately, instead of exploding, the clump just caved in, soaking the fabric of his trousers. He might've launched into an enthusiastic bout of cursing, if he hadn't been interrupted by a sudden yell from down by the river.

Was someone in trouble? Though if anything, they sounded pissed off. Curious, he walked over to the nearest set of steps and looked around. Down on the bank were two figures: two very _familiar_ figures, the first of whom was midway through walloping the second in the face.

Holy crap, what were Souji and Yosuke _doing_?

Kanji bounded down the grit-covered steps to the river bank, landing feet-first in a patch of muddy snow. Yosuke seemed to be gearing up for a left swing, so Kanji quickly dodged behind him, grabbed his arms, and yanked him back.

"Hey!" he complained. "Leggo!"

"What, so you can belt Souji-senpai round the head?"

"It's fine, Kanji." Souji was almost doubled over with his palms flat against his thighs, and his breath coming hard and ragged. "Let him go."

Let him go?

Kanji blinked at Souji for a split-second, arms still looped underneath Yosuke's - then, without really thinking about it, released him. Senpai had that effect on people. He _didn't_, far as Kanji knew, usually have the effect of making his friends want to hit him. "The hell's going on here?" Kanji muttered, glancing between both Yosuke and Souji.

Souji pawed at his nose. "...I guess that looked bad."

"I feel better now," Yosuke said cheerfully, wiping blood off his chin with his sleeve.

"Good for you," snapped Kanji, "but I still don't get what the hell you were doin'."

Yosuke rolled his shoulders and winced slightly at the movement. "We just had to work a few things out. Man to man."

In a way, Kanji could appreciate that. He'd taken on those bikers, after all. Sometimes a man had do man stuff. Seemed kinda weird for 'man stuff' to include beating the crap out of your best friend, but who was he to judge? "You okay with—" he began to ask Souji, just to make sure, then realized Yosuke had frozen in place - frowning blankly at a nondescript pile of snow, hand halfway raised to his mouth.

Two seconds later, he shook his head, eyes wide. "Whoa."

"He changed, didn't he?" Souji said quietly. "I felt him."

"Yeah, he—yeah." Yosuke crouched down in the snow, hands pressed over his knees. "Sorry. Kinda dizzy."

Changed? "What're you talking about?" Kanji asked.

"Jiraiya. He's – _not_, any more." Yosuke hesitated - then, like the words didn't quite fit on his tongue, continued, "Susano-O. That's who he is now."

Like with Chie, Yukiko and Ted. Personas changing, becoming stronger or more resilient. Kanji had never asked any of his friends when or how it'd happened, figuring that kind of stuff was deeply personal. A Persona was _you_, after all. If it changed, then something about you had too, and in a profound way. It was probably a _good_ thing, but – personal. Kanji almost felt bad for witnessing whatever had just happened to Yosuke's, like he'd eavesdropped on something he shouldn't have. Particularly since Yosuke's emotional level-up had involved getting punched in the face.

"So...that's how it happens, huh?" Yosuke managed to stand again, though he still looked unsteady. "Guess I'd been wondering."

"Yeah," said Souji, smiling. "Sorry it took so long."

"Why did it?" Kanji blurted, and didn't add, _when do I get mine_.

Souji's smile faltered. "That's...kind of complicated."

Yosuke shot a glance at Kanji, then shrugged. "We've got time."

This clearly wasn't the answer Souji had been hoping for. He shifted awkwardly in place – suddenly seeming vulnerable, somehow, a look that was wrenchingly unfamiliar on him. He wiped at his nose again, then rubbed a hand over his chin.

"Chie and Yukiko," he started, oddly. "I spent a lot of time with them, helping them work through their problems."

"Did you brawl with them by the river too?" asked Yosuke.

"Nope. I value my life," Souji deadpanned. Then he turned his head, gaze fixed on the surface of the river and the chunks of ice that'd piled up against the bank. "We just talked. And when they - reached a realization, I guess...their Personas changed. And after that, they didn't need me anymore."

At one stage, it'd seemed like everyone had needed Souji. The tables had been turned later – him needing them, even if he hadn't wanted to admit it – but it didn't change the effect he'd had on the team. The way he'd guided them through their problems, both individually and as a group. Kanji frowned, confused. "So? Thass good, right?"

"I thought so too. But then we - just stopped spending time together."

"Because of what happened with Namatame?" Yosuke said.

"No, not just that. They were always busy. And when I approached them, all I could feel were other arcana tugging at me instead. Other Personas urging me to make them stronger." Souji rubbed at his eyes for a moment, then dropped his hand to his side. "I feel it happening with Ted now too, and even people who aren't part of the team." He let out a breath. "I haven't really spoken with Naoki or Kou in ages."

"I don't get it," Kanji cut in. "They don't have Personas."

"No, but—" Souji stopped short, then shook his head. "Like I said, it's complicated. But all of it...kind of put me off hanging out with anyone. The two of you, Rise...and then there was everything with Nanako-chan and Namatame, and I just stopped even..." He trailed off, then looked back at the both with a regretful, almost ashamed half-smile. "Some friend I was."

Yosuke stepped forward and smacked him lightly on the arm. "C'mon, dude. Don't be like that."

Souji was obviously trying to keep his voice even, but there was an undercurrent of gloom that Kanji couldn't ignore. "I don't know whether the same's going to happen with you, now," he said to Yosuke.

"I won't let it," Yosuke instantly shot back.

"Same," Kanji insisted. "If Take-Mikazuchi changes, so what? You're still gonna be my buddy."

Souji offered them both a weak smile. Like he wasn't sure whether to believe them but didn't want to lose face, and the thought made Kanji cringe a little inside.

"Thanks, guys," he said. "Maybe it won't happen at all now we've solved the case." A pause. He wiped a hand over his face again, stopping to rub twice over his mouth, then looked away again, shoulders slightly slumped. "I—it's so much _better_ when people need me. When I know what I have to give and what I can take. Without that...I don't know how to navigate."

Yosuke rolled his eyes. "You don't have to 'navigate', dork. You're not a _boat_. It's about just getting along with people, you know? You're great at that."

Again, Souji shook his head. "The bonds came automatically. It was never that way before I came to Inaba - but it's amazing what you forget."

Bonds. Souji had used that word before. He'd always made making friends seem as natural as breathing. Kanji couldn't imagine what would happen to change that, or a former Souji who wouldn't have known how to do it. For want of anything better, he stepped forward and clapped Senpai on the back with one hand.

Souji winced at the impact, but shifted the expression into a grin a moment later. It was slightly too tight – nervous, as well, and that melancholy edge hadn't gone - but Kanji figured it was a start.

* * *

**December 31st **

By Saturday, after six taut and stretched-out days, things had more or less settled into a routine.

Naoto would ignore Kanji at school and skip any and all group meetings at Junes. In return, he would avoid texting her, avoid calling her, avoid her in general. It sounded simple. Shame it hurt like hell. And every single time he thought about what'd happened - five, ten, fifty times a day, because he was too lame to ever let anything go - the memory would rush through him all over again: everything from the feeling of Naoto's mouth on his and the texture of her hair between his fingers, to how his legs had cramped up in that stupid narrow landing. The way she'd _looked_ at him beforehand, blue-grey eyes with a spark behind them, like she'd finally let herself understand. Every time, he tried to push the thoughts and feelings out of his head, and it seemed like that might be getting slightly closer to possible - but Kanji wasn't sure he could tell. Wasn't sure he could trust himself anyway, when he was still hung up on something that'd so obviously been a disaster.

It'd thrown off things with everyone else, too. Either he couldn't talk to them about what'd happened, or – in Souji's case – he could, and knew full well he didn't really want to. Not because it was Senpai, but because talking wouldn't change what'd happened and it wouldn't stop the sick taste of humiliation and rejection in the back of his throat. And around everyone else, it just felt like Kanji was faking. Putting on an act to stave off questions, even though nobody had actually asked any yet. Not even Rise, who he'd always figured for being the most aggressively interested in her friends' personal lives. He was still half-expecting her to _start_, though, and so, when Ma asked him to deliver New Year's cards on Saturday evening – not his ideal activity at the best of times – he was dreading going to Marukyu Tofu most of all.

And, sure enough, when he reached the tofu shop at around three, Rise was outside, wearing her white apron and sweeping the front steps clean of snow. There'd been a fresh, light fall earlier in the afternoon. Kanji couldn't remember it snowing this much last year or the year before, but after almost two months solid of thick fog, even the TV pundits didn't seem that surprised by Inaba's weather anymore.

As he approached the shop, Rise pulled the broom upright and leant against the handle. "Hey, Kanji-kun!"

"Ma says Happy New Year," he mumbled, and shoved a card into her free hand.

"And you don't?" she started, pouting, then stopped to inspect the card more closely. "Ooh, that's pretty."

"Yeah. Well, see ya." Kanji turned to leave, then felt the broom's wooden handle tap him on the shoulder.

"Hey, hold on, Kanji-kun. We could at least talk for a bit. You've been grumpy and quiet all week. Or even grumpier than usual."

He shrugged, more aggressively than he'd intended. "Wasn't prepped to be all chatty, s'all." It was only sort of a lie. "Didn't expect to see you out here."

"The fog's gone," Rise said, gesturing around the street. "I don't hear everything now, so I don't need to hide indoors." She smiled at him, bright and easy and above all relieved. "I'm so, _so_ happy we won."

"Was kinda rough for you, huh."

"Maybe. Other people were worse off, but..." She trailed off, and he noticed her knuckles whiten a little around the handle of the broom. "That was the first time that I wished I didn't have a Persona. It was like being bombarded with sounds and images, and almost all of them bad." She tapped her forefinger against her temple. "But now, things are quieter up here."

Kanji grinned at her. "Empty, y'mean?"

"Don't make me throw this at you," Rise said, brandishing the broom like a spear.

"Might stay quiet forever, now we don't need to go back in the TV anymore." The idea had been playing on his mind. Trying to solve the case, fighting Shadows...it'd given him a – purpose, he guessed. Something only he and his friends could do. Hell, it was the reason he even _had_ friends, and a Persona to boot, and now it was all over. "We won't be using our Personas now."

"I dunno about that." She leant the broom against the wall and sat down on the top step. "Didn't you feel like there was something we missed?"

"Huh?"

"Something we were forgetting," she said, which didn't clarify anything. "Like there was something Himiko couldn't..." She trailed off and shook her head. "It's been bothering me. I had one of those weird dreams last night, too. Not as creepy as when the fog was here, and I can't even really remember what it was about, but still...it felt like it was trying to tell me something. "

There hadn't been _any_ dreams for Kanji recently, bad or otherwise. Not even his old man showing up, the way he'd done back when the fog had pressed up against the windows each night. "Eh, we're done with all that," he muttered as he sat down next to Rise.

"I'm not so sure. If Himiko was more powerful, maybe she could figure it out." Her voice was tinged with sadness, maybe even bitterness, and he remembered her getting hung up on all this before. "It felt like she _did_ get stronger back when Izanagi absorbed all of our Personas, like she'd _changed_ - but it didn't last."

So it hadn't just been Take-Mikazuchi. Kanji wished he'd remembered to ask Senpai about that, back by the river, but he'd been too thrown by the whole crazy 'I-thought-my-best-friends-would-abandon-me' deal. Was that stronger connection he'd felt a hint of what Take-Mikazuchi would turn into? Or just some weird side effect of Izanagi swallowing up his power? The whole thing made Kanji's head hurt. Maybe it was better not to think about it for now.

...Like a lot of stuff, really. Pack it up, store it away.

He turned his thoughts back to Rise instead, and the way she was staring down at the road in front of the shop, eyebrows angled in what looked like frustration. "Did Souji-senpai talk to you?" he asked.

She looked up. "About what?"

Meaning, no. Oh man, that'd been a bad question to ask. It was Senpai's business what he did or didn't tell other people, especially when those people were maybe-sort-of-more-than friends. Trying not to wince, Kanji mumbled, "Uh. Nothing. Just stuff."

Rise stared at him. "Just stuff?"

"S'right," he said, with the most confident nod he could manage.

He thought he'd pulled it off too, until she threw up her hands. "Kanji-kun, you are the world's _worst_ liar! You can't ask me that then say 'just stuff'!"

Ah, crap. This wasn't going well. Kanji let out a sigh and rested his elbows on his knees. "Maybe you should go talk to him, ask him why you don't have a souped-up Persona. There's – a reason. A pretty good one."

She folded her arms and leaned forward, seeming to fold in on herself a little. "And he hasn't told me it, so maybe I shouldn't ask."

"Don't be like that," Kanji muttered. "Dunno what's going on between you two anyway."

"I don't know what's going on between you and Naoto either," Rise countered, glancing up at him with a small, troubled frown between her brows. "Except that something's not right."

It would've been an admirable about-turn if it hadn't thoroughly pissed him off. "What makes y'say that."

"The Christmas party. You barely looked at each other and things just felt all _wrong_ between you. It's been that way at school, too."

"You supposed to be psychic now?" he growled.

This time, it was Rise's turn to sigh, in a way that sounded resigned rather than frustrated. "Okay, so I was totally right. I asked Naoto-kun and she just said -" and here, Rise's voice dropped to a ridiculous artificially deep pitch - "'That's none of your concern, Rise-chan', but I hoped I'd get more out of you. Relatively."

In truth, Kanji didn't want to brush Rise off. They were friends, good friends, even if she did bug him and tease him and tell him off for stuff that wasn't his fault. And, like Yosuke, she just wanted to help out. But he felt like he was fumbling through day after day of shaky, awkward interactions as it was, so why add to the list? True, most of them had involved Naoto, but so, in an indirect way, would this one. And hell, it was time to let this crap _go_. "Look, I just don't wanna talk about it, alright?" he said, bristling, his stomach twisting. "It's – it don't matter now. I'm done with it." It was only at the last instant that he caught himself before saying, _I'm done with her_.

Though he hadn't looked back, he could still see Rise watching him at the edge of his peripheral vision, and he guessed what her expression might be. And before she had chance to respond – to say anything that'd piss him off more, or worse, make him want to answer – he stood up from the steps. "Gotta get going," he mumbled. "More cards to deliver."

There was a beat of silence before Rise spoke. "...Sure. But we're gonna talk about this later, okay?"

Kanji had already turned away, in the direction of the gas station. "Yeah," he said – but as he walked away in long strides, snow and grit crunching underfoot, he knew he had no real intention of doing that at all.

* * *

**January 1st, 2012**

The air was damp and biting cold. Kanji's nose and ears had turned numb well before he'd reached the entrance to the shopping district shrine, and his breath fogged into soft clouds indistinguishable from the grey January sky.

Stupid idea to come here. Wasn't like he put any faith in this crap. But New Year's was New Year's, and Ma had poked him into coming down here, said it would be good for him, _if you won't join me at the main shrine then at least stop by there, Kanji-chan_. Lesser of two evils. The main shrine on the outskirts of town would be packed with people right now, and the last thing Kanji wanted to deal with was a big crowd – particularly when a bunch of them might know him, or think they knew him. Fortunately, the small shrine here was as empty as ever. The fox was perched up on the snow-covered roof, beady eyes tracking Kanji as he approached the offertory box, but nobody else was in sight. He sat down at the top of the steps, where the edge of the roof had kept the snow from settling, and stretched out his legs, curling and uncurling his toes in his shoes in an effort to keep them warm.

He hadn't bothered with last year's shrine visit. He'd learned soon after his dad had died that wishes didn't grant you shit, so what was the point in making them, new year or otherwise? But that feeling had faded a little over the past eight months, replaced by the conviction that, while wishes might still be a waste of time, there was a future worth looking forward to. Stuff you could aim for, _strive_ for. Just over a week ago, Kanji would've put his whole deal with Naoto squarely in that category. Being with her was something he'd wanted, something he'd guiltily wished might happen, knowing full well he was getting his hopes up for nothing but being willing to do it anyway. But that'd been then. Someone running away from you (_rejecting_ you, same damn thing in the end) could change a lot of stuff.

He hadn't been sitting on the steps all that long – hadn't intended to be there much longer at all – when he heard footsteps approaching along the path to the street. Probably someone else from the district, he figured, until he glanced up. Naoto was approaching him, head and cap both tilted down slightly to hide her eyes. She stopped about a meter from the base of the steps. Kanji hadn't bothered to call out to her.

He blew into his cupped hands, trying to warm his fingers. They felt frozen even through his gloves. "Thought you'd go to the big shrine instead."

She lifted her head. "Your mother said you were here."

So Naoto had been looking for him. Kanji bit his tongue and didn't ask why. "She hassled me into it."

Naoto gave a single, slow nod. "I hadn't intended to visit a shrine either."

But she had. A shrine he was at. She'd even gone to the shop first, looking for him, so did that mean she was sorry or that she'd changed her mind or absolutely nothing at all? And what was he supposed to say or do in return?

If he'd been alone, Kanji might've laughed at himself. _Done with it_. Who the hell had he been trying to fool? He wound up nodding rather than speaking. There was something better he was supposed to say or do here, but whatever it was eluded him; instructions laid out in a set of rules he'd never been given.

Naoto shifted in place, arms rigid at her sides. He could see her breath form clouds in the air, but several long moments passed before she spoke. "I'm leaving Inaba tomorrow."

Later, Kanji would figure, _should've seen it coming, _but at the time he hadn't been prepared at all. The sentence hit him like a punch in the gut – a sudden, wrenching clench of pain that was too strong to swallow down. "Y-You are?" he managed.

"Temporarily. I—my grandfather. He's returned to Japan, and I promised to meet with him during New Years." She hesitated, gaze now fixed on the snow-dusted bottom step. "I will be assisting with his new case."

Kanji bit his bottom lip to steel himself, trying to steady out his voice. "H-How long?"

"Until it's complete. There...may be other duties afterward."

And now, after the initial rush of confusion and shock, it made a horrible sort of sense. "You're runnin' away."

Her head snapped up. He'd expected a cold expression, smooth denial, but her eyes were blazing. Kanji wasn't positive it was solely with anger. "I'm _not_. This is my profession, Kanji-kun, I have to—"

"Be honest with yourself, okay?" he snapped. "Then stand there and tell me you're leaving just 'cause of work."

"My grandfather—" Naoto started, this time sounding a little desperate, but Kanji shook his head.

"Stoppit," he growled – not wanting it to come out that way, wanting and wishing he could've said something _better_ but not knowing where to start. Feeling the same numb, confused frustration that'd gnawed at him all week.

Naoto looked away. A silence coiled around them, dense and tight enough that Kanji swore they'd both choke on it.

"The murder case is essentially solved," she said, finally. "There's – no reason for me to be here anymore."

Never mind a punch. That one had felt like a hand plunging down his throat and clenching around his insides._ No reason._

He swallowed. "What about school?"

"The faculty are aware," she said – and of course they were, that was why she'd been in the office for so long earlier in the week. "I missed a great deal of middle school due to my casework and my studies did not suffer."

No wonder. Prodigy, like that Niteline show had said months back. Boy genius.

"And Adachi?" he asked.

"I've provided my statement already and I'll still be working with Dojima-san and the other detectives, just remotely. My absence from the Inaba police station is actually likely to improve matters."

Her voice was quiet, and slightly frayed at the edges. Unable to look at her face, Kanji had taken to watching her fingers instead, and the way they curled around the sleeves of her winter coat. "You told the others?"

"No."

_But you told me, so what does that mean, _Kanji thought.

"What time are you leavin'," he said.

"That doesn't matter," she instantly shot back. "And please, don't inform the others. I will contact them on the train."

"Fine." He'd expected it to come out biting, but it might as well have been a single breath; no force behind it.

Naoto had made up her mind to leave, didn't want anyone there to see her off, and so it was pointless that she'd come here to see him at all. But a part of him – one he couldn't admit to, not right now - was fiercely glad that she _had. _And another part of him again, the same one that was still so bitter and frustrated, felt a sudden, stark pang of sympathy. Naoto was still standing in front of him, one arm clutched across herself, and in no other person Kanji had met was the gulf between what they said and what they felt so prominent. In that light, everything she'd done made sense, while making no sense at all.

He'd been hung up all week trying to understand what she'd done on Christmas Eve, and now, _now_ he got it. The answer wasn't only in everything she hadn't said, but in the fact that she hadn't said it. And that'd always been the way with Naoto, short a while as he'd known her. True of him too, at times. Neither of them quite able to say what they meant, where they needed to, when it counted.

Kanji caught her gaze. "You know you're fooling yourself, right?"

Again, she looked away. "...I don't think we should discuss this any further."

"If you want," he said – not even petulant, now. Just tired.

Another silence, much heavier than the first. Naoto stood there for several long moments, still not looking at him but seeming on the verge of saying something - or maybe that was his imagination. Kanji couldn't bring himself to ask either way, and finally, without speaking, she turned away and walked back down the path toward the street.

* * *

**January 2nd 2012**

Kanji hadn't meant to go to the train station.

Cleaning the shop, sewing, watching shitty television...none of the usual distractions had worked, so he'd just gone out walking instead. Aimlessly, if he was honest, dumb and frustrated enough to wander around town in the freezing cold. He'd never planned on going anywhere near the station – why would he, what was the point - and told himself he was surprised when he looked up through the falling snow and saw the entrance further down the road.

And shit, the snow was getting heavier, so he did the only reasonable thing: climbed the steps two at a time and ducked inside the old wooden building. He'd just wait out the flurry. Wasn't like there was much else he could do.

Wasn't like he wanted to check the station platform, just in case.

The station was rarely manned, least of all during the holidays, so after a quick glance around the empty building he just jumped the ticket barrier. The exit onto the platform was right in front of him, but Kanji hesitated for several seconds – breathing deeply, wondering whether he should turn around and quit being so damn stupid. She wouldn't even _be_ there. It was already ten, and somebody like Naoto would've taken an earlier train.

Which made checking easy. He clenched his fists and stepped out onto the platform.

Looking left, he saw nobody. Looking right, he saw two old men sitting on a wooden bench, a middle-aged lady holding a little kid's hand – and past them all, a slight, capped figure, standing close to the edge of the overhead shelter, beside a black suitcase.

...Shit.

Kanji shoved his hands in his pockets and strode down the platform toward her. Naoto must've heard his footsteps, because she glanced up as he approached. Her gaze was disinterested for the first split-second, like he was some passing stranger, then her eyes immediately widened. One step closer, and her expression had turned carefully, expertly neutral. "Y-You shouldn't be here," she said.

"I wasn't gonna be, I just—" _Dragged myself out t__o the train station then pretended I didn't mean to, how lame is that, but maybe it'll make you stay_. "I was out walking."

Naoto gave him a flat stare. "And happened to jump over a ticket barrier."

He shrugged. "Gotta keep up my bad reputation." He nodded further down the tracks in the direction the train would come from. "No train yet?"

"Delayed. The snow," she said. "It should be here shortly."

The pause that followed quickly turned into a cloying, awkward silence. It made Kanji think of the fog and the way it'd congealed around him, stifling sight and sound.

"Listen," he started. "Yesterday. I—"

"It's fine."

"...Right."

He hadn't wanted to apologize, which was maybe what Naoto had assumed, but simply to say, _I get it. I figured out why you're doing this, and that doesn't make it okay, but I get it_. It was something he had to tell her now, right? Before she left. Kanji watched her look up at him then quickly away, caught the vague flicker of doubt in her eyes, and remembered all over again the way she could redirect his train of thought by a glance, a subtle change in her expression, a single shift in position at the table at Junes.

"Why're you so afraid?" he blurted. In the distance, he could hear the steady click of an approaching train.

She glanced at the other passengers further down the platform, then back at him. "Kanji—"

"I mean, d'you think I'm _not_? 'Cause I was scared shitless of telling you anything. Still am. But I'm here anyway."

Naoto's gaze dropped. She turned back toward the tracks, and he noticed her hands had tensed into fists at her sides. "I'm - not like you."

"No," he said, quietly. "You're better."

The train's horn sounded as it approached, so maybe Naoto hadn't caught what he said. She didn't visibly react but she also didn't reach for her suitcase. Kanji reached out, laid a hand on her shoulder, trying not to grip too hard, and tugged her to face him.

"You could change your mind, right? You could." He swallowed. "You – don't have to go anywhere."

No denial. No anything for several long moments as the train rolled into the station. Just him still holding her shoulder, her not shrugging out of his grip, but Kanji knew she would any second now, she had to go get on the—

"A-Are we still friends?"

Naoto's voice was almost too low to hear over the sound of the train. She'd kept her eyes averted as she said it, but looked back at him halfway through the last syllable, catching his gaze. There was a long pause, each of them looking at each other – and Kanji ducked down and pulled her into a hug.

He'd surprised himself, never mind Naoto, and he figured she'd shove him away. But within seconds, the tight and wiry tension in her limbs seemed to drain away just slightly, enough that he didn't feel like he was hugging a bundle of steel cables, that it felt like she might be relaxing a little into his hold. One of her arms was still awkwardly trapped between them, the other had stayed firmly at her side, and he'd had to stoop down so her face wouldn't be smushed against his chest. But what mattered, what _counted_, was that she didn't pull away.

He was the one to break it in the end, pulling back his arms and straightening up just as the train doors slid open. Naoto looked up at him, face flushed and expression impossible to read. Somehow, the last five seconds had made him feel just a little braver – and though his hand was shaking, he reached out and tipped up her chin with two fingers. The pad of his thumb brushed just below her lower lip.

He could try again. He could—

"The train," Naoto said, suddenly, pulling away – but as his hand fell back to his side, she took hold of it midway, squeezed the few fingers she was able to grasp. "I have to go." Then she let his hand go, picked up her suitcase, and stepped on board the train. The door slid shut behind her moments later. Kanji stepped back – swallowing thickly around the twist in his throat, refusing to search the windows for her face - and waited for the train to leave. It soon started moving again, slowly passing the now empty platform. It was only as it finally rolled out of the station, into the white haze of the falling snow, that he realized Naoto had never said exactly where she was going.

He stayed there for fifteen, maybe twenty minutes longer, just sitting on one of the benches with his elbows on his knees, but the snow showed no sign of stopping. Eventually, he went back into the station building and vaulted the ticket barrier. Just before he walked outside, his phone beeped in his coat, and he almost dropped it down the steps in the rush to pull it from his pocket. Text message. From – Souji. Asking if Kanji knew why Naoto had been ignoring his calls.

...He could text her. It was a good excuse, right? _Hey, Senpai wants to know why you're blanking him, by the way are you okay, can I call you sometime._

_Are you really going to come back_, he wanted to ask.

But wanting to know the answer, that was different.

Kanji stared down at his phone, thumb hovering over the keypad, until he finally lifted his fingers and flipped the handset shut.


	42. Interlude 12

_This chapter had no right to take as long as it did! Apologies, guys. Did not spend as much time writing this past month as I would have liked._

_Thank you and apologies to anyone whose review I missed answering…I guessed you might prefer a new installment instead. Thanks also to non-registered reviewers PSKira, NOIRA, Sinuhe (sorry, the update didn't quite make the new year), Tarantula, A Gray Phantom (whose name I hope I got right this time), and ichinisa. _

_Story so far: A week after the Christmas Eve kiss, Naoto kept on running - this time to a new case in a new city, leaving Kanji standing alone on a train station platform.  
_

_In this part: January, step by stumbling step._

* * *

**January 4th 2012**

"It's unlike you to not see a case through."

There was nothing accusatory in Grampa's tone, but the undercurrent of concern was intolerable. Naoto bristled and, aware though she was of her grandfather's formidable observational skills, tried her best not to show it. "The culprit has been apprehended. I will continue to work remotely on assembling the evidence."

She paused, waiting for him to acknowledge her answer - but he was studying her instead, and the look he gave her was as measured and steady as a metronome. During the train ride to Yokohama they'd spoken only of the upcoming case; why raise other questions now, when their taxi was just pulling out of the station? The glass divider shielded their conversation from the driver, but Naoto still felt compelled to lower her voice.

"My skills can be better developed on a new investigation," she tried – then, more petulantly than she would have liked, "I haven't abandoned my duties in Inaba."

"Your duties aren't what concern me," Grampa said, evenly.

The implication was clear. And while Naoto knew she had abandoned other things in leaving Inaba – - the investigation team, her school life, what little sense of belonging she'd managed to scrape together – staying had been impossible for reasons she couldn't imagine explaining to anyone, much less her grandfather. Explaining them to herself was challenging enough; justifying them, even harder.

...But Inaba, as she'd repeatedly reminded herself, was always intended to be temporary. Departure was the natural conclusion. The repetition of this statement had not yet made it convincing.

She glanced quickly at her grandfather, then away, and reached automatically to adjust the brim of her cap; an obvious, habitual tell. "I've arranged to continue with both my schoolwork and my previous case. I see no other business left unfinished."

The last sentence was sharp-edged. Grampa had effectively raised her, and Naoto had rarely needed to explain herself to him. She couldn't bring herself to look at his reaction. She turned to stare out the car window instead, as the taxi pressed on through Yokohama's evening traffic, and forced her hands to remain unclenched in her lap.

* * *

**January 8th 2012**

Word had traveled neither as quickly nor as far as Naoto had suspected, and thanks to the usual fudging of documentation her new colleagues in Yokohama believed her to be a fifteen year old boy. This brought its own set of problems – but also a feeling of a relief, a sense of the world settling back on its axis. And, whether due to Grampa's presence or to city attitudes, tolerance for her involvement seemed slightly higher than back in Inaba. There were the usual whispers here at the police station, the frostiness from senior detectives, but nothing unexpected. It was easy to slip back into her usual mode of operation, devoting her attention to the case at hand, particularly when buoyed by collaboration with her grandfather.

Or it would have been, had he appeared to welcome her help.

He'd said nothing outright. He'd even quietly encouraged her take the lead, but then he'd never been inclined to baby her. The difference was more subtle. There was always that same air of gentle reproach, the implication that Naoto didn't have to be there, that her time might be better spent back in Inaba – at a school she had no need to attend, on a case she could no longer help with and with people who—

"Shirogane-san?"

Naoto glanced up to see one of the detectives standing in front of her borrowed desk. Imamori, a stocky, good-natured man of around thirty whom, judging by his frequent attempts at small talk, might have been tasked with babysitting her.

"Sorry, the meeting's been delayed again," he said. "The other detectives, ah, want to wait for your grandfather."

This was no surprise. She gave a brisk nod. "Of course."

Imamori seemed relieved. He bowed briefly, not much more than a quick nod forward, and headed back toward the conference room.

Naoto and her grandfather were acting as consultants, taken on for Grampa's extensive prior experience with cases of large-scale criminal fraud. Specialists had already pored through bank account records, their work summarized in the papers spread over her desk, but evidence of this type was limited in its usefulness. Successful fraud perpetrators spent a great deal of effort on hiding any potential paper trail. Naoto had little experience with this sort of organized crime, though. Perhaps that explained Grampa's demeanour.

She admired and loved her grandfather, trusted him, but without all the facts at his disposal he had no way of forming a reliable opinion. He wanted her to return to Inaba when he didn't fully understand her reasons for leaving; the realization that she'd entangled herself with too many people in too many ways, that she'd forgotten the importance and safety of isolation. If you were alone, you didn't need to worry about losing anyone. You were at no risk of harm or of harming others. And perhaps, in the end, it was what you deserved.

Naoto had just closed her eyes in an effort to clear her head when her phone buzzed on the desk, rattling against the wooden surface.

_hey naoto whats up ^_^ r u busy?_

Rise. Unsurprisingly, she'd been most persistent in her attempts at contact. Naoto picked up the phone and tapped out a response. _**YES**_

Equally unsurprisingly, Rise was not dissuaded. _hey did u call kanji yet?_

_**NO**_

_hes why u left rite? he wont tell me about it but i spoke 2 yosukesenpai and i kno sumthing happend_

Of course. Naoto had practically shoved Yosuke into a wall in her hurry to escape Souji's house. Such incongruous behaviour was bound to raise suspicions, even if Yosuke was unaware of what had actually transpired. She swallowed thickly, thumb moving over the keys. _**LEFT FOR WORK. NO NEED TO CONCERN YRSELF W/THIS**_

Almost a full minute passed before Rise answered. _ur my friend naoto. so is kanji_

Naoto wanted to point out that was precisely the problem. She'd spent most of her life friendless. Desperately lonely as she'd been, she'd never realized how hard it would be to adjust to the alternative. Facing her Shadow had forced her to admit she couldn't stand alone, but relying on and caring for others had so far proved painfully complex. She was left caught in the middle, terrified to move forward but knowing that she needed to learn, essentially, how to be more human. At times, she'd told herself her tenuous friendship with Kanji was a way of making progress. All other thoughts concerning him had been shoved firmly aside - right until the moment when he'd leaned toward her on a narrow landing, and everything had rushed up on her at once.

She'd _had_ to run. The flood of emotion - the fundamental loss of control - had been more than she could bear.

But they were still friends. Naoto had been terrified that she'd broken that, but Kanji seemed to have reconciled himself to the situation. Friendship would be enough.

She shifted in her seat, then turned her attention back to the papers on her desk.

* * *

**January 12th 2012**

_"H-Hey. Sorry to call. Just – y'know. Wanted to know how stuff was going. With the new case. So, uh, keep in touch, yeah?"_

_End of message. Hit 1 to play again._

Naoto did.

It was a new and inexplicable habit. Kanji's message would not change. Kanji's message, in terms of content, meant very little at all.

(By contrast, his disjoint and stumbling voicemail from Christmas Eve meant far more than she could stand. Naoto had saved it anyway.)

He'd texted her on the evening of the 8th, and left this message on the 9th. Neither had received a response. Naoto had wanted to correct that, if only to reassure him that her journey had gone smoothly, but all the texts she'd mentally composed seemed somehow lacking and brusque, and calling him directly was out of the question.

She walked over to the hotel room window. The lit windows of the office blocks outside were almost blinding compared to Inaba's sparse dots of light.

_"Sorry to call. Just – y'know."_

The Kanji of three days ago had clearly been trying to keep his phone message as neutral as his text. His voice was the problem. It was brittle, pulled tight at the edges, with a nonchalance so forced that it made her stomach sink. He was clearly a terrible actor, but the fact that he felt the need to act at all was worse. Naoto couldn't blame him.

_"—the new case. So, uh, keep in touch, yeah?"_

...Perhaps it had been a mistake to rule out calling. She could try now. He might still be awake. She could—

Say what, exactly? He'd confirmed they were still friends. What was left to discuss?

Besides, she had work to do. The new case demanded proper attention and she did her best thinking late at night.

_End of message. Hit 1 to play again._

Naoto didn't, and the phone's consequent silence was deafening. She kept it held to her ear, still staring out of the window, for a long time.

* * *

**January 19th 2012**

It wasn't until Rise texted her, mid-morning and immediately following an interminable meeting with two dour forensic accountants, that Naoto found out today was Kanji's birthday.

She wondered what the team would be doing for him. They'd been so caught up in the case last year that most birthdays had gone unobserved. In this more peaceful time - and given that Rise was aware of the date - the others might hold a small party, a get-together like the one they'd had for Nanako on Christmas Day. Rise had mentioned a cake, which – judging by Naoto's experience trying to rein in three very over-eager cooks – would be a less than optimal birthday surprise.

She leaned back against the police station wall, arms folded, huddled under her coat collar against the cold winter wind. The police had finally obtained a search warrant for another business suspected to be a front in the fraud case, and Grampa was due to assist them in the search for relevant evidence. The taxi carrying Naoto to join him would arrive in minutes. Kanji and the others were the very last thing she should be thinking about - and such distraction was absolute proof of why emotional entanglements were a terrible idea.

A moment later, her phone buzzed in her pocket.

_Hey, Naoto. Everything going well with work?_

The message was from Souji; the first he'd sent since his missed calls on the day of her departure. Naoto had begun to wonder if he'd bother to contact her again at all, while telling herself that it didn't matter either way. _**YES THX **_

_Great. Rise mentioned she'd been in contact with you and I hadn't heard back after calling, so I wanted to make sure you were okay._

Naoto winced.

She'd always felt drawn to Souji. Within five minutes of first speaking with him, she had divulged potentially valuable details regarding her conversation with Kanji – and later that evening, been unable to explain why. It was a difficult sensation to ignore. Around him, she felt – valuable. Worthwhile. With everything that had happened with Nanako and Namatame, they'd had to put the Phantom Thief case aside after the most recent letter, but even in that brief time Senpai had made Naoto feel safe.

Perhaps all his friends felt that way. But sometimes, she'd hoped she was the only one.

Sometimes, she wanted to know whether all this could have worked out very differently.

She tapped her thumb against the keys. _**SORRY**_

A long time seemed to pass before Souji responded. _No problem. I guessed you were busy._

Kanji had been the only one she'd told of her plans to leave. Everyone else had presumably heard from Rise, whom Naoto had texted on the train out of Inaba. But Souji, she felt she should have informed. By this stage, he was – complicated, but in an entirely different way to Kanji. Naoto was left with the notion that under a different set of circumstances, she might have—

But that wasn't what had happened. It had been Kanji, and now she had to deal with the aftermath. She wanted to label it a moment of madness – but in the cauterizing light of day, Naoto could see they'd been hedging toward it for months, and that she'd marshaled all her powers of self-deception to convince herself otherwise.

_My uncle says you need to get your ass back here and help finish up the case. His words. Not sure he actually wanted me to share them._

_**CASE WILL PROCEED W/O MY HELP**_

_Yeah, but I think he warmed up to you. BTW, it's Kanji's birthday today. The girls are baking him a cake, poor guy. Maybe you could call him?_

…That would be useless, now. Besides, the taxi was already visible at the end of the street and traffic was light at this time of day. Naoto shoved her phone back in her pocket and stepped away from the building, raising her hand to flag down the cab.

* * *

**January 22nd 2012**

Though Naoto had planned out this conversation almost word for word, beginning it wasn't easy. She straightened her back, took a quick breath. "You want me to return to Inaba."

Grampa looked at her, raised an eyebrow, and said nothing. Instead he gestured for her to sit in the seat opposite him, but Naoto stayed standing in the hotel room doorway, as if moving would reduce her resolve. Confronting her grandfather - her ally and caretaker since almost as long as she could remember - felt both inescapably wrong and entirely necessary.

She clasped her hands tightly behind her back. "It's obvious you're displeased by my presence. I _know_ I have no experience in fraud cases, but this is a chance for me to—" The words had tumbled out too quickly, and the level look in Grampa's eyes made her feel faintly ridiculous. "I can be useful," she finished, quietly.

He leaned back in his armchair. "Displeased? My dear, when have I ever felt that way about your assistance?"

There was nothing condescending in his words, only mingled affection and concern. And in truth he'd never rejected her involvement, even when she'd been no more than a callow, ambitious ten-year-old who'd read one too many detective novels. She let out a breath, shoulders sinking slightly with the motion. "...Never."

"And as much is true now." He paused, as if gauging her reaction, before continuing. "I don't believe my opinion is the issue here at all, hmm?"

Grampa had an innate talent for cutting right to the heart of a matter. If not for her self-control and self-possession, Naoto might have winced.

Moments passed in silence before he spoke. "Do you miss Inaba? Your friends?"

"...That isn't relevant."

"You haven't mentioned them since you arrived." Another pause, brief but weighty. "I know it must be difficult for you."

Grampa would never pity her, but the gentleness in his voice was too much to stand. Naoto stiffened, her hands now gripping each other tight enough to hurt. "I am fine."

"This case is likely to drag on for at least another month. There's no need to disrupt your schooling for so long." His voice had turned firm, but the look in his eyes remained kind. "You missed the majority of middle school, and it was not beneficial."

Middle school would have been pointless. Trivial topics, unrelated to her work, pursued in the company of children. She felt the muscles in her shoulders pull and harden. "I furthered my abilities as a detective, and I can do so again now."

"There will be other opportunities," Grampa said. "You still have a place in Inaba. You have a life there."

Naoto opened her mouth to respond, then closed it. She knew too well that her own stubbornness was inherited. She watched instead as Grampa rose from the armchair and stepped across the room. He stopped short of hugging her - she'd told him three years ago she had no need of such demonstrations - instead clasping a hand on her right upper arm.

"You're strong, capable, and a fine detective," he told her. "But you do not need to stand alone - and running away would be a disservice to both you and your friends."

"...I'm not running away," she protested, with as little conviction as she felt.

"Do you really believe that?"

Grampa's expression had shifted. It verged on disappointment, a realization that made her stomach lurch - and Naoto found herself unable to answer.

* * *

**January 23rd 2012**

At night, alone in the dark, some things were – no. It wasn't that they were _easier_ to think about, it was just that you couldn't do anything _but_ think about them. And for Naoto, the darkness brought a sickening degree of clarity.

Rise had been wrong. It hadn't just been about Kanji. He had simply been the breaking point; the extra pebble that had finally tipped the scales. Naoto's Shadow had begged desperately for a reason to stay, but by the end there had been far too many. The biggest being the team - no, her _friends_, whom she was running away from just as Grampa had stated. The events of November and December had proved just how dangerous and bewildering such attachments could be. And Kanji - Kanji was part of that. Certainly she'd run away from him, too.

…But he was also part of something else. He was different. Naoto wasn't fully certain at what point that had started being the case, or why – only that he was, and that she'd responded to this with deplorable behavior. Since Christmas she'd ignored him almost entirely, only relenting when she'd already made up her mind to leave, but she hadn't known what else to do. Her set of tools for dealing with people was hopelessly limited, and utterly useless when it came to—whatever had occurred between her and Kanji. The kiss. Everything that went with it.

He had feelings for her. She'd simply feigned ignorance for months – subconsciously for the most part, though that made it no less cruel. But what exactly did she feel for him? Years of practice had developed Naoto's skill for submerging her emotions to the point where identifying them was a major challenge. The best she could do, as a detective, was to review the evidence at hand.

She'd pursued Kanji to the TV world after barely a moment's thought. She'd made sure the bully Sonoda wouldn't press charges against him. She'd defended him from her police colleagues. She'd _kissed_ him – not just _been_ kissed, but reciprocated. He'd stirred feelings she wanted no part of, made her resent him for doing so, made her feel fundamentally unsafe and unsteady. The conclusion was increasingly obvious.

Naoto rolled over in her hotel bed, eyes screwed shut as if to block out her own racing thoughts.

She was in love with Kanji Tatsumi. Of all the people she could have chosen – having never wanted to choose one at all – it had been Kanji. A hulking, multiply-pierced, not-quite-delinquent regularly in undeserved trouble with local law enforcement.

…Grampa would not be impressed.

He would have liked Souji instead. In retrospect, a small, sentimental part of Naoto would have preferred Souji too. He was her Senpai, her leader. She deeply admired him; idolized him, even, troubling as that was in itself. He was intelligent, kind, charming, all qualities that would and had attracted her – and Naoto would have laid down her life for him in battle. But as much as part of her might have wanted to be in love with him - had secretly hoped she _might_ be - she knew she wasn't. It simply would have been much easier if she was. Senpai would have kept her feeling safe - not only because he would never hurt her, but because she could never hurt him. He was too fluid, a stream flowing around stones. Kanji was another matter entirely. They each stood the risk of hurting the other - not out of malice, but due to sheer emotional ineptitude. Would it be worth it?

She could ask herself the same of every other attachment she'd made. Were _any_ of them worth it?

Hundreds of miles away, any conclusions she could make would be merely conjecture. A good detective would return to the scene and make further observations. Applying the rules of one's profession to one's personal life was most likely ill-advised, but Naoto had little else to go on – and here, in the dark, she could be honest enough to admit she missed what she'd had in Inaba. Most of all, she missed her friends – Kanji included.

Grampa had been right all along, but he usually was. Naoto vowed to talk with him tomorrow and arrange a good time to depart the case.

* * *

**January 24th 2012**

Eleven in the morning. Kanji would be in class, and his phone would be switched off.

Naoto dialed his number and waited for the call to roll over to voicemail.

"Hello. This is Naoto." Except he'd already know that, he'd added her contact details. Naoto wished she had planned her words in advance - but then she might never have picked up the phone. She swallowed, hoped he wouldn't hear it on playback, then continued. "I'll return to Inaba on the twenty-eighth. The train should arrive at six-thirty in the evening. If you could—" But that was asking far too much. Pushing them both too far. "Well. I thought you – ought to know." Then she quickly hung up, before she could say anything else.

She needed to inform the others too. It would only be polite – and if she preferred not to tell them the exact time she would be arriving, that was fine. Naoto scrolled through her desperately short list of contacts, and selected Rise's name.

* * *

**January 28th, 2012**

The rain had started as the train approached the outskirts of Inaba, and still hadn't let up. The smart choice would have been to have a taxi take her directly to her apartment. This 'smart choice' would have also caused her courage to evaporate completely. Instead, Naoto had walked down the train station steps and caught the first bus to the shopping district, suitcase and all.

Cold raindrops pelted against her as she ran north through the district, past Marukyu, past Aiya, until she finally arrived at Tatsumi Textiles and ducked underneath the awning outside. After doing her best to straighten out her damp clothing, she took a deep breath and pushed open the shop door.

Inside, Kanji's mother was standing by a half-dismantled display, carefully folding a colourful sample of silk. At the sound of the door, she looked up. "My, Naoto-kun, it's been a while, hasn't it? Are you here to see Kanji-chan?"

"Y-Yes. I am," Naoto managed, wishing she sounded more decisive. "Would you please call him?"

"Oh, no need for that. You can head in back, he's in the living room."

"I—" Naoto began, intending some sort of protest, but under Tatsumi-san's expectant gaze she quickly slipped off her shoes, picked them up, and walked through the back door of the shop.

Though neither she nor Tatsumi-san had spoken loudly, Kanji must have been listening. Naoto entered the living room to find him standing in front of the sofa, facing the door.

He nodded stiffly. "Yo. S'good to see you."

"You too."

"You, uh, can hang your jacket over that chair. Since it's damp."

Naoto shrugged out of her coat and did just that, placing her cap on top. "Thank you."

Pleasantries over, they lapsed into an awkward, tense silence - stuffed full of a dozen things Naoto thought she might say, thought she _wanted_ to say, but couldn't voice in any sort of sensible order. Several long moments later, she gave up and started with the simplest. "I thought you might - be at the train station."

He glanced away. "Didn't think you'd want me to be."

She had never, Naoto reminded herself, directly asked him to be there. The best she'd managed was to ask without asking, and then she'd told herself it wouldn't matter anyway when years of casework had left her accustomed to arriving and leaving alone. When she'd looked around the empty platform, she'd been surprised how much it had actually hurt.

Kanji rubbed a hand across his chin. "Even if you did, if you'd said so, I—" He dropped his arm and shrugged. "I don't know if I would've gone."

Naoto's breath caught in her throat. "...Why?"

"I can't do it, y'know? After everything that happened. I-I tried, I called and texted, all that crap." His gaze shifted back to her, almost piercing in its intensity. "But I can't just - chase after you. That ain't right on either of us."

"I – I had to leave. It was—"

"Kinda shitty," Kanji cut in, though he sounded more admonishing than angry. "You blanked me, then you ran. And it hurt."

"At the station, before I left, you—" She stopped short and drew a breath to steady herself. "I thought we were still friends."

"'Course we are, dumbass! You ain't listening."

"I'm _trying_."

Kanji's response was a rough, frustrated sound, deep in the back of his throat. He flopped down on one end of the sofa, frowned at his socked feet for a moment, then watched Naoto sit beside him.

"You gotta decide, yeah?" he said, softer this time. "What you want. And if - if it's not me, well, that's fine, we're cool."

The last part was spoken far too quickly to sound casual. Naoto wasn't convinced they'd be 'cool' at all, that Kanji wouldn't harbour a grudge no matter however unwillingly. But was that even an issue? What if she just took a chance and told him yes?

"'Cause I wouldn't blame ya," he rambled. "I know I ain't all that—"

"Kanji-kun," she cut in, slightly harsher than she'd intended.

His expression turned sheepish. "W-Well, yeah. So." A sigh. "You – need to decide."

There were too many what-ifs. What if she hurt him more than she already had, what if the whole thing went wrong, what if it _didn't_. It would change things; change her. She stared down at her hands in her lap. "I - don't know what I want, I don't understand any of this. And I-I'm sorry."

"Sorry?"

"For everything. For not noticing, or convincing myself I hadn't. Both, really." Naoto lifted her head and forced herself to hold his gaze. "You deserve better."

"Better than you?" Kanji's voice was low, and he shook his head. "No way."

His idea of her seemed dangerously different to the reality. She tried to push the thought aside, and another long moment passed in silence.

"I get it," he said at last. "I get why you left. And s'okay." He rubbed a hand over his face again, then scratched at the back of his neck. "I mean, it kinda _isn't_, you know? But it is."

_Something either is or isn't_, Naoto almost snapped, but she knew better than most that wasn't strictly true. She ran her tongue over her lips; they felt almost as dry as her mouth. "I was afraid," she said. "I still am."

Kanji motioned toward her as if reaching for her hand, but stopped short. "Yeah. Me too."

"And I can't be what you want. I can't be what _anyone_ wants." She'd known this for years, deep in her bones, and shied away from others because of it. "I - don't understand intimacy, and when it comes to other people, I do everything wrong."

He made an annoyed noise, somewhere between a grunt and a snort. "What's it matter what people want outta you? You're _you_, man."

She'd learnt enough of Kanji's history to know he needed to take his own advice. "As are you."

"Dunno." Some of the certainty in his voice had drained away. "Guess so."

A heavy silence settled over them both. Naoto barely noticed for the thoughts spinning through her head, and the feelings that seemed to curl inside her stomach then wind up through her chest to her knotted throat. At the back of her mind, Sukuna-Hikona had started to stir - and it occurred to her then that he'd been silent throughout her time away from Inaba. Or had he been quietly pushing her toward this all along?

Kanji was the first to speak. "So...what now?"

Initially she was unable to answer. Change was painful and terrifying, particularly the kind she'd undergone since arriving in Inaba; an internal revolution imposed from outside.

But perhaps some changes were easier if you made them yourself.

Naoto tipped up her chin. "What we did. Before. D-Do it again."

Kanji blinked, then frowned at her. "Uh?"

"Do it again."

The frown deepened. "You mean—"

Tired of waiting, no longer certain what she'd been waiting for in the first place, Naoto leaned in, clamped both hands over his shoulders, and kissed him.

This one was rushed - barely a meeting of their lips - over too quickly, and about as awkward as the first. As they both pulled away and Kanji darted a nervous, wide-eyed glance at the open living room door, the pragmatic part of Naoto's mind reflected that they probably just needed more practice (while the rest tried to ignore the sudden rush of heat to her cheeks).

"We, uh. Should go out," Kanji mumbled - his face, she suspected, flushed an even deeper shade than her own. "My ma."

Continuing this in public was not an idea Naoto relished. Particularly during a rainstorm. But it felt like there were more questions, more things that needed to be resolved between them - analyzing, always over-analyzing - and at least a walk might clear her head. She hopped up from the sofa and smoothed out the wrinkles in her shirt. "Y-Yes. I agree."

* * *

Without any firm destination in mind, they wandered out through the district in the drizzling rain, Kanji holding the umbrella high enough to shelter them both. As they'd exited the shop, he'd made a clumsy attempt to hold her hand, which - after glancing around the street for witnesses - Naoto had gingerly accepted.

Having left so soon after the team's defeat of Adachi, she was still adjusting to an Inaba lacking last year's thick layer of fog. It was already dark outside, but the streetlamp light that had once been lost in the haze was now crisp and bright, making buildings and signs in the distance clearly visible even through the rain. Pleased as she was by the sight, for a single irrational moment Naoto regretted the change. Kanji's hand was warm around hers, his thumb stroking over her fingers, and if nothing else fog guaranteed privacy.

They kept walking in silence. Eventually they found themselves on the deserted path by the floodplains, which seemed to amuse Kanji. When she asked why, he shrugged and said, "This is where we first spent time together, kinda."

It took several seconds of thought for her to recall when he was referring to - and with the memory came a realization. She glanced up at him, then away. "I have a question."

"Shoot."

"You - said before that you'd liked me since the start. When exactly did you mean?"

"When we met. Last May." Kanji sounded unperturbed.

Except back then, she'd been someone else. Shirogane-the-boy, an alternate self who would never leave no matter to what degree she adjusted to being treated as female. In an ideal world, Naoto thought, there wouldn't be separate selves at all, but one cohesive whole incorporating boy things, girl things, everything that comprised her. Or perhaps those things would just be what they were, and not considered masculine or feminine at all.

But nothing was ideal. The world at large considered gender a binary construct. She herself had only recently begun to accept that it might be a spectrum, that the dichotomy she'd created had done nothing but damage her self-perception. Damaged other things, too. Back in May, Kanji would have regarded her quite differently. "But you believed me to be—"

"Yeah. I know," he cut in, wincing. "Trust me, I know."

Which, logically, led to several possible conclusions. One, that Kanji preferred men. Two, that he had no preference at all. Three, that he was confused and Naoto was only making matters worse. And given what she'd heard about his Shadow and its location…

She released his hand and gripped her opposite arm. "And now you know that I'm - not. Is that going to be a problem?"

He looked down at her, frustration and hurt mingled in his expression. "If it was, d'you think I'd have kissed you?"

Blunt though Kanji tended to be, his directness still threw her. "I-I wouldn't presume to comprehend your motivations, and – and I don't want us to enter into an arrangement under any sort of misconception."

She'd turned her gaze back to the path ahead, but at the edge of her vision she caught him shake his head. "..._Arrangement_? For real?"

Her face prickled with heat. "That – I – I was under the impression that we—"

"Man. The more riled you get, the fancier words you use," Kanji muttered.

Was she jumping to conclusions? Sukuna-Hikona was buzzing at the edge of her mind, a long list of rapid-fire suggestions and warnings. She paused to collect her thoughts, then tried again. "I didn't see your Shadow, but I know a little of its nature. I - just thought it was important to ask."

"_Your_ Shadow wanted to turn you into a guy," he said, simply. "That what you really want?"

In the past, Naoto might have said yes. There were parts of her that _already_ felt male. Matching that physically, she'd thought, would be so much easier, encapsulate so much more of who she really was. Now, having confronted her other self, she'd gradually come to accept that her assessment had been hopelessly simplistic, and that what she truly wanted was more complicated. "No. Not really."

"Yeah. That's how it goes with Shadows. They snap down on whatever doubts you got and snare them up into a whole big mess." Even in the dim light, she could see his jaw and shoulders tense. "That's why mine was – like it was. I figured I was supposed to be just one way, and that the stuff I really liked made me a pansy or whatever you wanna call it."

"You mean your hobbies?"

"Yeah, but not just that. Everything. I – I don't fit what people expect. I didn't fit what _I_ expected."

They had reached the gazebo by now, and they both ducked under the roof. In the faint light from the lamps outside, Kanji propped the umbrella on the floor then leaned back against one of the wooden railings. Naoto stood in front of him, hands tucked in her pockets to keep them warm.

"So," she started. "You aren't—"

"Shit, I dunno," he cut in. He scuffed his boot against the floor and let out a sigh. "I hate fricking labels. But - I've thought 'bout it a lot since we met, y'know? I-I think I like - _you_. Boy, girl, whatever you want." He shrugged, a loose roll of his shoulders. "The rest...I guess I'll figure out."

Naoto's throat tightened. Words were easily spoken - but when Kanji had said before that he accepted her and backed it up with his actions, she'd wanted desperately to believe him. Now, it seemed possible that she _could_.

"You make it all sound simple," she said quietly.

"Maybe it can be, yeah?"

She stared down at her shoes. "What if it isn't?"

His hand landed on her shoulder. "Then we'll work it out together."

Two fingers trailed along her jaw, more gently than she'd thought possible, and tipped up her chin. Kanji was staring down at her, forehead creased in a slight frown – and on impulse, Naoto leant up on her toes and firmly cupped his cheek. Picking up on her idea, he leant down to meet her in turn, and she pressed her lips against his.

Her toes soon started to ache from pushing herself up to reach him and their mouths weren't quite moving in the same rhythm, but this time still felt different – easier, a little less tentative. In an attempt to keep her hand steady she slid it up to cup the back of his head, and Kanji mimicked the motion, the slight shake in his own hand oddly reassuring. Naoto kept her eyes closed, focusing on the warmth of his mouth, the rough texture of his fingers against her neck, the sound of the rain pattering against the roof above - until it occurred to her that they were kissing _in public_.

She jolted back and tipped down onto her feet, breathing hard.

Kanji blinked at her. "Was – was that bad? 'C-Cause I can—"

"No, no. You were – fine," Naoto blurted, frantically scanning the path by the river. "I – we're – there might be people around."

"S'dark," he pointed out.

"I know."

"And raining."

"I know."

"And we're under a gazebo."

"Yes, I _know_," she hissed, "but that hardly—" She shook her head. "Never mind."

For a second he looked faintly hurt, and she wondered if she'd been too abrupt. Then his expression cleared, shifting into an awkward, tentative half-smile. "So, uh," he started, then stopped.

"Hmm?"

"…Are we – y'know. Together?"

Three kisses and a month of internal debate later, the answer should have been decisive - especially with Sukuna-Hikona's presence now urging her on - yet it still took all of Naoto's courage to deliver. "…Y-Yes. If you'd like."

Kanji's smile broke into a grin, and he rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. I totally would."

Then he took her hand again, enveloping it in his much larger one. Hesitant as it was, Naoto couldn't help a small smile of her own, and a slight squeeze of his hand.


	43. Chapter 31

_Back...and very sorry for the delay. Ran into some major life issues over the past couple of months. Only recently started writing again. I hope I'm not too rusty, apologies if this chapter is not up to par._

_To everyone who left reviews while I was gone - thank you so much, and I'm really sorry if I don't catch up on responses. I presume you'd all prefer a new chapter than messages from me anyway. I don't do a good job of expressing just how grateful I am for all the support and encouragement you guys provide, but it's one of the major reasons I came back to continue this story.  
_

_...Okay, enough sappiness, right?_

_Story so far: After months (and too many chapters) spent dancing around each other, Naoto and Kanji finally got together \o/_

_In this part: Valentine's gifts and not-gifts, two people speaking different languages, and an unwanted letter._

_(Bonus points if you spot the old idea I reused)_

* * *

**February 11th 2012**

Kanji never really remembered the dreams. Might've been easier if he did, rather than be left with this sensation of _wrongness_. Sixth time since the new year started. Last night was the most recent.

He sat up, pushing the sheets aside, and rubbed a hand over his face. There'd been a few vague glimpses, flashes of images that were already fading. Thick fog, same as last year. A dark, echoing cave. Souji, summoning Izanagi. None of it made any sense but it was all stuff Kanji had seen last time, and the time before that. The whole thing had set Rokuten Maoh's nerves on edge too, and the big guy kept rumbling at the edge of Kanji's mind. He'd considered bringing it up with the rest of the team; after all, Rise had mentioned something about strange dreams back in December. It just seemed kind of stupid now that everything was supposed to be over.

Stress, maybe. They'd gone through a lot of seriously weird shit last year - and Rokuten Maoh was still new inside his head, still settling in. Hell, Kanji was still adjusting to everything he'd finally figured out about himself, the idea that maybe he didn't have to hide his hobbies or lash out anymore, but instead just make himself understood.

He stood up, stretched his arms, then walked over to the bedroom window and raised the blind. The district below was lit by the low, early morning winter sun and a few of the locals were already milling around. Usually he would've been grumpy about having to head to school, half-day or not – but seeing Naoto would make up for it. He just wished he could do it more often, maybe meet up between classes, but when he'd suggested the idea she hadn't been keen. Something about 'upsetting the team dynamic'. Maybe she had a point, even if he couldn't see it. Naoto was damn smart.

Just not that smart when it came to _people_. And the rest of the team weren't stupid; they were bound to figure it out eventually. Probably Rise first, which would land him in serious trouble for not clueing her in sooner. Souji sort of knew already, or at least knew some of what had happened between Kanji and Naoto over Christmas. What would be so bad about spilling the rest of it, or at least being upfront with the others? Lying to his best friends even by omission left a bad taste in Kanji's mouth.

But Naoto must've had her reasons, right? Besides, he was still riding the giddy high of them actually _being together_, this constant feeling of 'holy crap, how did I get here'. After what they'd both gone through to reach it, why not celebrate? It took a lot of effort not to blurt out to everyone that one of the most awesome people he knew actually liked him back.

Maybe she'd come back to the store today after school. They usually hung out in the living room, which was kinda awkward, but with Ma busy tending shop – and under the impression they were both either doing homework or watching TV - they had enough privacy to share a few kisses. He might even be able to talk Naoto into a catching the train to Okina. See a movie, go on a proper date. Couple stuff. Kanji couldn't help smiling at the thought. Now in a thoroughly good mood – thinking about Naoto always did that – he pulled out his uniform from the closet and began dressing for school.

* * *

**February 12th 2012**

Kanji stared down at the glove puppet in his hands. "Senpai, the hell did you do?"

"…Sewing's not my strongest suit." Souji's expression had turned sheepish, and beside him, Nanako started to giggle.

No kidding. It was just a freaking oven glove, and he'd still somehow sewn the thumb to the palm. "You were just s'posed to put eyes and stuff on!"

"I was busy helping Nanako-chan," Souji tried.

"No you weren't," said Nanako. "I did this myself!" She held up her own glove puppet for emphasis, showing off the button eyes and green woolen hair.

Kid had to be telling the truth; if Senpai had helped her, the thing would probably be sewn to his shirt. Kanji grinned at her from across the table. "And you did better than your Big Bro."

Nanako beamed back at him. "Thanks! Can I make one for Dad?"

"Sure." Kanji tipped his head toward his materials bag, propped against the wall near the Dojimas' front door. "I brought two extra gloves and a ton of decorations. Pick out what y'like."

"Can I have a new one too?" Souji asked.

No way. That would be throwing in the towel. Or glove. Kanji shook his head. "C'mon, Senpai! We're fixing this one!"

"Sorry, Big Bro." Nanako didn't sound too sorry at all, and as she scrambled to her feet, Kanji heard her quietly giggle again. She hurried over to the hallway and began rifling through his bag, and Souji leaned forward over the table.

"So," he began, which was never a good sign.

Kanji stared at the puppet and concentrated on unpicking Souji's botched stitching. "What."

"You and Naoto. Did you patch things up when she got back?"

Damn. He'd figured this was coming. Senpai was a pretty discreet guy, didn't push people, or at least pushed them without making it seem like he was pushing. But knowing what he did, it was inevitable he'd eventually start asking questions – which Kanji would have to do his best to dodge. "Yeah. We did," he cut in. "S'all fine now. You guys gettin' on too?"

"Yep," Souji said, a little too quickly himself. "We've been finishing up something we were working on before she left. It's great that she's back."

"Yeah. It is."

Kanji didn't look up, but he could feel Souji studying him. There was a long pause before Senpai spoke. "What about Christmas?"

Crap.

He was torn. Souji was the kind of guy you instinctively wanted to be honest with, but if Naoto wanted to keep things low profile then there was no way Kanji could argue. A horrible thought churned through his mind: that she might just turn and run, and everything he'd strived for would come to nothing.

"I was just curious," Souji continued. "After what you told me, it seemed like you two might—"

Kanji thrust the glove puppet back into Souji's hands. "D-Dammit, this is puppet class, Senpai! You've gotta concentrate, yeah?"

Souji stared at him for just a moment too long – then slipped his hand into the oven glove and waggled his thumb. "Yeah, you're right," he said, smiling. "Otherwise I'll sew the thing to my sleeve."

Kanji forced a smile of his own. "Don't sweat it. We're gonna make you a pro in no time."

* * *

**February 14th 2012**

Valentine's Day had never registered on Kanji's calendar. Fat chance of anyone giving _him_ chocolate, and there'd always been even less possibility of him reciprocating on White Day – so the entire day had usually passed by without note. This year was different.

Yeah, so girls were supposed to give guys chocolate, but who cared? And who said it had to be chocolate anyway? He'd been itching for an opportunity to make something for Naoto. Something she'd like, that'd maybe remind her of him – and while he had a sinking feeling that stuffed toys and cute crap weren't her thing, he was still pretty sure he'd hit on a winner. (And, though he'd never admit it, part of him even dared to hope that maybe she'd gotten him something too.)

So, he was all set to give Naoto her gift. The problem was, she was in one lousy mood. He understood the reasons – he'd seen her stalking down the hallway at lunch, surrounded by three very over-eager second-year girls – but when he approached her at the lockers after school, he expected the worst.

"Uh...hey," he said.

Naoto didn't turn away from her locker. Glancing inside, he saw it was stuffed with decorated boxes of chocolates – colourful ribbons, pretty foil wrapping paper, the works. "Kanji-kun."

"...Rough day, huh?"

After a long moment, she let out a sigh and rubbed her hand over her forehead. "Yes. Sorry. I'm – not used to this. In previous years I wasn't in formal education, and thankfully missed Valentine's Day at school."

He tried not to wince. "You, uh, don't like Valentine's?"

"It's a social construct which enforces stereotypical gender roles." Naoto glared balefully at the boxes stacked in her locker. "And then there's _this_."

Kanji had seen her toss out enough love letters from random students; it figured she wouldn't appreciate gifts from them either. He was a little surprised to notice he didn't feel jealous – but, given Naoto's reaction, there didn't seem to be any reason. "Yeah, it sucks. 'Specially since you don't even like chocolate much." He'd been sure to scout _that_ one out ahead of time.

"Exactly," she muttered. "I have no idea what to do with it."

"Give it to Ted, he'll put the lot away in one afternoon. But you should be flattered, yeah? I didn't get any 'cept some obligation stuff from Rise," he added, and resisted the temptation to add the word 'yet'.

"Be thankful you escaped the homemade variety. She corralled me into assisting her." Naoto's expression turned glum. "Dojima-san called midway through regarding Adachi's pending prosecution, and I strongly suspect she attacked the spice rack while my back was turned."

Kanji let out a low whistle. "Damn. Souji-senpai's in for a world of pain." Then, because maybe Naoto was just holding out on him, "Guess I should be glad I only got obligation chocolate. Not the real stuff."

Naoto looked at him, then at the boxes in her locker, then back at Kanji.

Wait a sec.

"No way!" he blurted. "You – you can't re-gift Valentine's chocolate!"

"You want chocolate. I have chocolate," Naoto pointed out with a shrug. "The solution is simple."

There was pragmatism, and then there was being tin-eared. "No! That's just – tacky, dammit! And I don't even want the—" He stopped, sighed, and shook his head. "Man, this seriously isn't why I came to talk to you."

"Then what did you want?"

Now or never. "To give you something." He glanced around the empty locker area, then took her hand in one of his, reaching the other into the side pocket of his bag to pull out the gift. "Here."

As soon as he placed the doll – a tiny stuffed replica of Featherman's White Kestrel – into her hand, her eyes widened. "Oh."

_Oh_? Was that good or bad? Kanji's hand automatically moved to the back of his neck. "It - It ain't much, but I wanted to give you something that wasn't chocolate, 'cause I know that ain't your favourite, and I figured you wouldn't be into the usual cutesy stuff—so."

Midway through the rambling sentence, Naoto's lips had curved into a small smile. She turned the doll over in her hands a few times, then opened her bag and tucked it inside. "I think this is still very cute," she said quietly, "and a perfect choice. Thank you."

"No problem. Happy Valentine's."

The smile vanished an instant later, replaced with a sudden flash of what looked like guilt. "I – didn't get you anything."

He should've seen it coming, and ultimately had – but yeah, it still sorta stung. Kanji rolled his shoulders in what he hoped passed for a dismissive shrug. "Eh, s'just a dumb holiday. You don't _have_ to give chocolate or anything."

Naoto kept her eyes averted, fixed on a point roughly half a metre to his left. "I…thought it might be too soon. That you—"

The sentence ended so abruptly, he couldn't help pursuing it. "That I what?"

An uncomfortably long pause. Then, she shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I apologize."

Maybe it really didn't. Valentine's Day wasn't really anything special; it just seemed to make half the school anxious and piss off the remainder. "S'fine," Kanji said. "You – you can do something for White Day, yeah?" He grinned, and gestured at the boxes of chocolate. "That's when you poor guys have to repay all this."

Naoto looked back at the locker, and winced. "…I may skip school."

* * *

**February 26th 2012**

Spending the whole day helping out with a delivery wasn't usually something Kanji would've relished, but last night's dream still had him fuzzed out and any sort of distraction was welcome. There was only so much he could do in the store, though, and when Ma finally told him he needed to get out from under her feet, he threw on his jacket and headed down to the floodplains. He wasn't planning on hanging around there long, not when he'd just end up thinking about what he'd dreamt and what it meant. Instead, he'd just head there, come back, then, with his head clearer, maybe call Naoto and see if she was free.

As it turned out, the last part was unnecessary. As he reached the steps to the riverbank, he noticed Naoto and Souji walking from the opposite direction. Souji waved, but Naoto was too distracted, busy rubbing her temples.

Kanji nodded as they approached. "Yo, Senpai, Naoto."

Naoto nodded, grimacing. Souji glanced at her, then gave an apologetic shrug. "Hey, Kanji," he said. "Out for a walk?"

"Needed some fresh air." Wasn't the half of it, but complaining about dreams was pointless. "You know how it is."

"I do. Especially lately."

Souji looked pale and a little drawn, and the dark circles around his eyes were hard to ignore. Like he hadn't slept properly in a while; if so, Kanji knew the feeling. "Everythin' alright?"

"Yeah," Souji said, with a smile that didn't quite work. "Just tired."

"You and me both. I've been having—" Kanji caught himself and cut the sentence short. "Eh. I ain't been sleeping right, s'all."

Souji looked at him for a moment, eyebrows slightly angled, but his expression quickly cleared. "Listen, I hate to run but I've got to head home now. I promised to help Nanako-chan with her art project," he said, which was clearly going to be a disaster, but Kanji opted for silence. "Alright, Naoto-kun?"

Naoto clasped her hands behind her back. "I'm fine. Please, don't let me keep you."

"Take it easy tonight," Souji told her, then began walking away. "Bye, guys."

After watching him for a few seconds, Kanji turned to Naoto. "You guys were hanging out?"

It'd come out sharper than he'd wanted, too close to the hot spikes of jealousy he'd felt last year. It might've mattered then, but what difference did it make now if Souji and Naoto spent time together?

Naoto glanced at him, then away. "Yes. We were – working on something. A...case, I suppose," she said, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Sukuna-Hikona changed. He's – Yamato Takeru, now."

"Like the others' Personas did." Kanji laid a hand on her shoulder and gripped it gently. "Rough feeling. You okay?"

"Yes. I just have a headache. He's even more..._helpful_ than Sukuna-Hikona."

Kanji tried not to grin. "Won't shut up, huh."

She nodded grimly. "I'm hoping he'll calm down, given time. Did this also happen to you?"

"Yeah, while you were gone." It'd been the day before his birthday, which was fitting in a way. At Souji's urging, Kanji had been to visit his father's grave on the south side of the town. It'd been brief, and he hadn't really said or done anything, but that - and a whole lot of talking at Senpai - had cleared Kanji's mind. They'd met back at the Dojimas' house later that day, and something had just - _clicked_, he guessed. "Souji-senpai helped sort out a lot of the crap inside my head."

"Senpai has done us all a great service." Naoto winced again and rubbed her forehead. "After a fashion."

The wind had picked up, and Kanji huddled down into his jacket. "You – don't hafta tell me what happened, why your Persona changed. That stuff's as private as you need it to be. But mine – well, I figured out a little more about who I am. That I've gotta work harder to get people to understand me." He swallowed, and forced himself to look her in the eye. "That includes you."

Naoto answered without hesitation. "I understand what I need to. That you're a good, kind, loyal person." She frowned, and fumbled with the brim of her cap. "And that – well. That I—"

Would've been cruel to leave her floundering. "C'mon, man. You don't have to get all sappy."

"I assure you," she shot back, sharp-edged, "I do not get _sappy_."

"Yeah, yeah. Wanna go home and rest? I'll walk you part way."

For a moment, Naoto looked like she was about to refuse – then she sighed. "Very well."

They started walking. The wind was whipping along the river, blowing gusts up onto the footpath. Twice, Kanji instinctively reached for her hand and had to force himself to pull back.

Maybe one day, right?

Several minutes passed in silence before she spoke. "You have those dreams too, don't you."

"Yeah." He kept his gaze fixed on the path ahead. "I dunno what they mean."

"I suspect we might find out," said Naoto.

* * *

**February 29th 2012**

One thing that had surprised Kanji about their new situation was how affectionate Naoto could be in the right circumstances, at least by Naoto standards. Anywhere outside was firmly off-limits; she got antsy if they just stood too close together. But if they were indoors, alone, with nobody around, he could count on a couple of kisses, often started by her. Hell, all he'd just done was hang up her school jacket for her, when she pushed herself up on tiptoes, cupped his cheek, and kissed him.

"Uh...thanks," he said when they broke away.

Naoto sighed and ruffled his hair. "Saying thank you every time is unnecessary."

Maybe. Or perhaps Kanji was still grateful things had worked out the way they did, and that she'd taken a chance on a punk like him. "Is to me. You're amazing."

Her expression shifted, now tinged with – he wasn't certain. Discomfort?

"Please don't say that," she said quietly, then moved to sit at the living room's low table and opened her school bag.

She never seemed to like being complimented, but that'd been true even before they'd gotten together. He'd just opened his mouth to apologize when Ma's voice called out from outside the room. "Kanji-chan, could you come to the shop floor?"

A customer for the dolls, maybe? Or some heavy lifting. "Yeah, on my way!" he yelled, and, with a quick nod to Naoto, left the room. But when he reached the shop floor a few moments later, he couldn't see any customers or anything that'd need moving – just Ma, kneeling in her usual spot. As he walked closer, she carefully rose to her feet.

"What didya need?" he asked.

Ma smiled at him. "Why, to talk to you."

Uh-oh.

Ma and him didn't just _talk_. Talking was code for a scolding – but what had he done wrong? Since the fight with Sonoda, Kanji had tried to keep out of trouble. "What about," he mumbled.

"A few things." Ma walked to a nearby table and began carefully straightening out fabric samples. "Rumours spread, dear. I've heard that Naoto-kun – well. I'm sure you know what I'm referring to." She looked up, holding Kanji's gaze. "It's Naoto-kun's business, of course, and the gossip won't go further from me."

Not that it mattered. Pretty much everyone at school knew, plus the cops, so why wouldn't the rest of Inaba have figured it out too? If anything, Kanji was surprised Ma hadn't heard earlier. Hell, maybe she had. "There a problem?"

She shook her head. "Not with that. However, I also know that you're seeing each other." And Kanji must've looked as mortified as he felt, because she quickly added, "Oh, don't look at me like that. Mothers can tell these things. You think I haven't noticed how often Naoto-kun visits lately?"

He didn't know what pissed him off more – that Ma thought this was any of her business, or that he and Naoto had snuck around and still completely failed to fool the old bat. "S-So?"

"So," Ma said, evenly. "If you're both together, now – I'd prefer it if you stayed out of your room."

...This was _not_ a conversation Kanji wanted to have. "D-Dammit! I – you didn't have to –" He stopped and rubbed a hand over his face. What was the point? And Naoto would get pissed if she heard him yelling at Ma, especially over this. "Fine. Whatever," he snapped, then turned and stalked away.

Shit, mothers jumped to conclusions _real_ fast. Okay, he was getting more interested in that kind of thing, especially with Naoto – but they were only sixteen, they'd been properly together just a few weeks, and she was pretty well-raised. He thought he'd calmed down fairly well in the ten seconds it took him to reach the living room, but some of the discomfort must've shown on his face. Naoto looked up from the folders she had spread out over the table. "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah. S'all good." No way could he bring up the topic with her, not yet. "Doing homework?"

"No, case work. Grampa forwarded me some documents relating to the case I left behind in Yokohama, and suggested it would be good training for me to review them," she said. "Once I've finished my first read-through, we can tackle your mathematics homework."

"Awesome," Kanji lied. He flopped down on the sofa, rummaged around in the sewing box beside it, and pulled out his next planned gift. This one was for Souji: a stuffed replica of Izanagi, near-finished, though getting the mask right was proving tricky.

He quickly realized that Naoto was watching from across the table, studying the doll. "I haven't seen that one before. Is it—"

"Y-Yeah. S'practically done already, I just gotta finish the mask." He hesitated. "I – made the others too, like we talked about. The Personas everyone had first." It'd seemed more appropriate somehow. Besides, he had no idea what some of the new ones looked like.

"I remember," Naoto said with a slight smile. "I'd like to see them at some point."

"I'll bring 'em out from my room later. Thought they'd make neat gifts for everyone when Senpai leaves."

"A reminder."

"Right."

They settled back into a comfortable silence, unlike the many horribly awkward ones Kanji could remember them sharing in the past. After about a minute – which he spent trying to decide whether to make the mask out of felt or foam – Naoto finally spoke.

"I could make you something," she said. "If you'd like."

"Huh?"

She hadn't looked up from her papers. "A gift. For White Day."

"Oh. Uh." How would that work? She didn't sew or knit or anything. "You make stuff too?"

"Yes. I make – gadgets. Badges, radios, that sort of thing." Naoto sighed and brushed her hair from her forehead. "I thought it was immature for a long time, abandoned it as a childish pursuit, but Souji-senpai and my grampa both recently helped me realize that I – don't have to be the perfect adult, I suppose. Now or ever. I presume that was the logical forward step after accepting my Shadow, since Sukuna-Hikona changed in response." She stared back at the papers, and quietly added, "The offer stands. Making you something."

"I – yeah, that'd be awesome, but – you don't have to."

Naoto gave a short, quick nod. "I know."

Other than _whoa you seriously want to do that how awesome are you_, Kanji didn't know what to say. The quiet was quickly broken by a sudden beep from Naoto's phone, and a rattle as it buzzed against the table. She picked it up, flipped it open – and her eyes abruptly widened.

"Something up?" he asked.

"It's from Souji-senpai. He says he's received a letter from Adachi." Naoto stood from the table, phone clutched tightly in her hand. "Excuse me, I need to call him."

* * *

**March 3rd 2012**

It didn't make sense. Why were they bothering with this crap?

Kanji shifted in his seat – opposite and diagonal from Naoto's spot by the window, he noted – and glanced across the carriage aisle at Souji. As the train clicked steadily against the tracks, the team sat in silence. Okina wasn't far, but if they had to stay like this the whole way there then Kanji would end up breaking a window just to make some noise. As unlikely as it might've seemed, he was actually grateful when Yosuke finally opened his mouth and spoke.

"I seriously don't get why you're doing this."

"You didn't have to come with me," Souji said, a little tightly.

Yosuke swiped his fringe to one side and leaned forward, elbows on knees. "Like I'd let you go see him alone! No matter how dumb I think it is."

"I hate to say it, but Yosuke's got a point," Chie said, shifting in her seat. Beside her, Yukiko nodded in agreement. "Isn't this just indulging him?"

Part of Kanji still wanted to believe there were good guys and bad guys – and once they were caught, you didn't waste your time with the latter. He grimaced. "That guy murdered two people, almost killed more, gave us the run-around for months...Adachi's a lying bastard."

"I know," Souji said.

Kanji smacked a palm against his thigh. "So why're we _doing_ this?"

"Because I think he might know something we don't."

"About what?" Chie asked.

"Why all this happened. I just get the feeling there's something we're missing."

And if Souji had said something else, or said it differently, maybe Kanji would've kept arguing – but the words brought memories of a dark hospital room, and the night Kanji had almost made the biggest mistake of his life. He leaned back into his seat and stayed silent.

"Souji-senpai has a point," Naoto said, level and low. "There are many unanswered questions regarding this case. Ameno-sagiri's explanations were incomplete. We don't know why the TV world and Midnight Channel exist, or why certain individuals were able to freely enter the television without first confronting their Shadows."

"I want to know that stuff too!" Teddie chimed in. "I want to understand more about where I came from."

Yosuke slouched against his seat, arms folded. "Yeah, but I don't see how Adachi's gonna answer all that," he muttered, then looked at Souji. "For all we know, he just asked to see you as a sick joke."

Souji shrugged. "Maybe. But what if he didn't?"

Everything was supposed to be _over_. They'd caught Adachi, taken down Ameno-sagiri, cleared the fog from Inaba, so what was there left to do? If you tried to answer every question there was, nothing would ever get finished - and Kanji wanted to be finished with what'd happened in the past year, to pack up the worst memories and put them away. Yet there were still the dreams. The nagging feeling that there was something just beyond their reach.

What if Souji was right?

Perched next to him, Rise laid a hand on Souji's forearm. "You look tired, Senpai. Are you sleeping okay?"

"No," he admitted, "but neither are the rest of you, I'm guessing. And I'll bet it's for the same reason."

Naoto nodded, expression stern. "Another question we need answered, then."

* * *

Going to Okina with Souji was ultimately more of a gesture than a useful action. Adachi was being held in jail there, pending trial, and Dojima had apparently pulled some strings with a high-up colleague so that Souji could see him. Exactly how Souji had persuaded his uncle to do that was beyond Kanji – but whatever had happened, only Souji had been given permission to make the visit. The rest of the team were stuck killing time among the shops and cafes; including, in Kanji's case, skulking around in Croco Fur while the girls pored over a dozen equally garish outfits.

"What do you think, Kanji-kun?" Rise asked, holding up one of the single most hideous skirts Kanji had ever seen.

He grimaced. She'd been the one to sucker him into this. She'd just needed Tailor Tatsumi's advice on a few outfits, she'd said, nothing big, _c'mon, Kanji-kun, it'll take five minutes!_

"Tell me you ain't seriously gonna wear that," he said.

"Nope, not a chance." Rise smirked at him. "Just checking you were still paying attention."

At least Chie and Yukiko didn't need his 'help'. They seemed happy enough picking clothes out for each other, though anything from this eyesore of a store would be a sketchy prospect at best. Yosuke had beat a rapid retreat – buying Ted Topsicles, he'd claimed – and Kanji wasn't sure where Naoto had gone, only that she'd done so very quickly and discreetly.

...They were in Okina. He'd wanted to bring her here on a date. Today didn't cover that, of course, but maybe they could walk around together, get some ideas for their next visit. And hell, it'd beat hanging around in here.

"Yo, Rise," he said. "I'm headin' out. You don't need me for this."

Rise tilted her head, pouting a little – then shrugged. "Yeah, I guess you're right. If you see Naoto-kun," – and here, he swore she winked – "tell her I found the _cutest_ little dress for her."

Kanji nodded, reminded himself not to tell Naoto a thing, and left the shop.

Outside, people were milling through the street in the seasonable early Spring weather. It took a few minutes for him to track Naoto down in the crowds, but he eventually found her standing outside the cinema, inspecting one of the posters on the wall. He'd never heard of the movie it was advertising, but the giant robot posed dead-centre gave the gist.

"You wanna go see that?" he asked her.

Naoto started, looking suddenly guilty. "N-No." Then she paused, and sighed. "...Perhaps. I used to enjoy those sort of films."

"We could go together. Not today, but next weekend or somethin'." He took a deep breath. "Like...a date."

She looked back at the poster, then nodded. "...Yes. Alright." A pause. "Are the girls finished shopping?"

"Nope."

"Perhaps we can wait for them in the café," she suggested. "By the time they've finished, Souji-senpai may have called."

Seemed like a good idea. Kanji nodded, and as they walked away from the cinema he unthinkingly took hold of her hand. Instantly, Naoto jerked out of his loose grip.

"Don't do that," she muttered.

It was just a dumb mistake, and he should've let it drop. He didn't. "Why?"

Her eyes narrowed before she quickly looked away. "It's – inappropriate."

Inappropriate? But they were _together_, right? Much as Kanji had tried to follow Naoto's lead on this stuff, had convinced himself he needed to, he had his limits - especially for things that ultimately didn't make much sense. "I'm not askin' that we make out in public, dammit. I just – I don't see what's so wrong with doing couple stuff," he protested. "Holding hands ain't much."

She still wouldn't look at him, keeping her eyes fixed straight ahead. "People will see."

He stopped walking. Naoto took two more steps before realizing, then turned back to face him.

"You held hands with me before," he said. "When you came back to Inaba. You _kissed_ me."

"There was nobody around." She hesitated. "And – I was...less level-headed. The comparison is hardly fair."

"S'like you're ashamed of me." He hadn't considered the idea before – hadn't _let_ himself consider it? – but it made a horrible sort of sense. He felt his jaw tighten. "Are you?"

Her eyes widened. "Of course not! I—"

Before she had chance to finish, Kanji kept going. "'Cause it seems like it, yeah? We still haven't told the others, and you're close with me when it's just us, but out here – I mean, what am I s'posed to think?"

Naoto glanced around the busy street frantically, as if searching for witnesses close enough to hear. "Kanji, not _here_."

"Why don't you just answer my question, dammit?"

"You – I –" She paused, swallowed, and took a deep breath. "I have a certain image to project. There are – aspects of myself that—"

"I tried fussing over that too, for years," he cut in. "It don't do any good."

"It's _different_ for you," she blurted. "You – people don't make assumptions about you."

Kanji grimaced. No assumptions? Yeah, _right_. "Seriously? You know the crap people've said about me! All 'cause of the way I looked or my hobbies or whatever they wanted!" Dating Naoto would soon be part of that list, once the usual suspects at school heard; he could already see that coming. "And you're gonna stand there and tell me I don't know what it's like?"

Naoto had gone through a lot of shit, had reinvented herself to help avoid it. He _knew_ that. But even if it was for different reasons to him, that didn't mean she was the only one.

She glanced away, biting her lip. "I – I know. I'm sorry."

Deflated, Kanji sighed and shook his head. "Shit, Naoto. I don't get it. I really don't."

There was a long, uncomfortable pause. Naoto gripped her opposite arm, head tipped slightly down.

"Souji-senpai...may have finished his meeting," she said, already half-turned to leave. "I'm going to try calling him."

"Yeah. Fine," Kanji muttered. He felt stretched taut, bones and tendons ready to snap. "I'll be outside Croco Fur."

* * *

**March 6th 2012**

As Kanji had expected, the rumour mill had already started turning. Inaba had always been bad for that. It was difficult to tell at first - people staring at him and whispering was nothing new – but if he hadn't been certain, Rise soon clued him in.

"You know what people are saying, right?" she asked him one lunchtime, at the entrance to the Practice Building.

He shifted his gaze to the wall behind her. "'Bout what."

"You and Naoto-kun." At the edge of his vision, he saw her fold her arms. "Seriously, Kanji-kun, you must've known people would realize eventually."

Kanji's response should've been some variation on _dunno what the hell you mean_ – but what was the point? Sounded like Rise had already realized what was up. Naoto had asked him to keep it quiet, but maybe that'd been out of embarrassment too: the smartest, sharpest kid in the school dating that dumb Tatsumi punk. He looked back at Rise. "So you know, huh."

She rolled her eyes. "I figured it out ages ago, dummy. But I haven't told anyone and I never would." Her brow furrowed. "I'm kinda bummed that you didn't tell me, but I get why. Sort of."

"Sorry. Naoto said to keep quiet."

Rise arched her eyebrows. "Really? I thought you were just worried what people would think." She winced. "Because some of the stuff they're saying...it's not right, you know?"

"Like what?" he asked, though he already had a decent idea.

She hesitated. "That...well. Naoto-kun's kinda, um..._boyish_, and – there were already stories about you, and—"

"I get it," he cut in, if only to save Rise from embarrassment. His fists had tensed at his sides, and he forced himself to unclench them. "Figured that's what they were saying."

She shook her head. "You'd think you dating a girl would stop all that."

"You know it ain't that simple," he muttered. "Naoto's different."

"Yeah, I guess so." Rise sighed. "But honestly, it shouldn't really matter."

"Damn right it shouldn't!" he said, with an angry sweep of his hand that sent two nearby first-years scurrying. "Say I _was_ with a guy. They'd still have no right to rag on me over it."

Rise sighed. "You're right. But it's okay, Kanji-kun," she soothed. "Naoto-kun's worth it, right?"

Kanji paused.

To him, Naoto was still worth everything. But if she was too ashamed of him to tell their friends, or let him hold her damn hand, how did he know she felt the same way? Maybe she was already regretting her decision. But then why would she be so affectionate (loving, his mind supplied) with him in private? It was like he was with two different people, all depending on who was watching. He'd tried reminding himself she was reserved, kinda shy, all that stuff, but it was an increasingly difficult theory to swallow.

He snapped back to awareness. Rise was still staring up at him, waiting for an answer.

"'Course she is," he said, with a tight smile.

* * *

That night found Kanji in his room, finishing up Souji's Izanagi doll. The work was bittersweet; a reminder that Senpai would soon be leaving town. From the little Kanji had gleaned, he wasn't looking forward to it. Didn't get along well with his parents, which was no surprise if they'd been ready to ship him off to his uncle's place for a year. It wasn't quite the same thing as Kanji losing a parent – or worse, Naoto losing both – but it was a loss nonetheless.

Thinking of Naoto…maybe he should just tell the others. Get it out the way. Rise already knew, and even if she'd stayed quiet, the rest of the team must've heard the rumours at school. Souji was smart as hell, so he must've figured it out as well - but Naoto might never forgive Kanji for going official. They still hadn't really made up after their argument in Okina, instead choosing to ignore it completely – or at least she had. Kanji would've preferred they talk about it. If nothing else, he wanted answers.

He glanced at his open cellphone, resting on the sewing table. It was almost 9pm. Maybe he could still call Naoto.

The phone rang. He picked it up and saw Souji's name onscreen. "Yo, Senpai."

"_Kanji_." A deep breath. "_We have to go back inside._"

"You mean the TV world?" Kanji frowned. They'd already solved the case, hadn't they?

_"There's someone I have to confront. A friend. We made a deal for information."_

Anyone you had to make deals with – who wouldn't help you up front - didn't sound like much of a 'friend' at all. "Which friend?"

_"Her name is Margaret."_ Souji paused. _"And she wants to test us."_


	44. Chapter 32

_Story so far: Kanji had trouble understanding Naoto's approach to relationships, culminating in an argument in Okina - at the same time Souji was meting with an incarcerated Adachi.  
_

_In this part: A battle with a near-goddess, a meeting with a real one, and an early gift.  
_

* * *

**March 7th 2012**

Yukiko stared at the blank television screen, one hand worrying the fabric of her skirt. "Does Dojima-san know about this?"

Souji shrugged. "Which part?"

"All of 'em," Kanji cut in. "That you went to Okina to talk to Adachi, and he told you whatever he did—" because Souji _still_ hadn't spilled the details "—and now we're gonna jump into the damn TV again 'cause of it."

He hadn't meant his voice to come out loud as it did, and this early in the evening Junes was far from empty. Two little girls watching Featherman on a nearby television stared up at him wide-eyed, while Souji coughed and elbowed him in the ribs.

"Uncle was the one who got me in to see Adachi in the first place," Senpai reminded him – though, hearing it, Kanji wondered again how Souji had ever wrangled that. "And he already knows about the TV world."

"Just not that we're doing this," Yukiko said, without making it sound like a question.

Souji shook his head. "There's no way he'd ever agree. Even if he really got it, which he doesn't, he'd still see this as a gamble - which it kind of is."

Wasn't the most reassuring thing Senpai could've said, but he didn't generally take risks without reason. "Not if that asshole Adachi told you something you needed to know," Kanji said - then, a little harsher than he'd intended, "You still haven't told us what he told you."

A long pause – then Souji let out a slight sigh. "I know, and I'm sorry. I needed to talk to – some friends, first."

_Friends_. Like this Margaret chick they were supposed to go see who wouldn't just tell Senpai whatever it was she knew. If they were all that close, why wasn't she helping him straight up?

"We're your friends too," Yukiko said quietly.

Souji frowned at her. "Of course you are. Don't ever think otherwise."

And yeah, Kanji already _knew_ that, but hearing it helped. Part of him had worried that this would be a repeat of last year, when Souji had pushed them all away after Nanako's kidnapping; that Senpai had decided to do all of this by himself. But if that was true, he wouldn't have called everyone here to Junes, right?

"You just gotta remember that, Senpai," he said, clasping a hand on Souji's back. "We're doing this together."

The smile Souji gave him was small but reassuring. "Thanks, Kanji."

"But Kanji-kun has a point," Yukiko said. "We'd understand things better if we knew what you and Adachi talked about, or what he wrote to you."

"Well…the letter didn't say much other than asking to speak with me in person. And even when we met, he..." Souji tipped back his head slightly, gaze fixed on one of the gaudy orange sale signs hanging from the ceiling. "I guess he might not have had any answers, but he was asking all the right questions."

Kanji's brow furrowed. "...I don't get it."

Souji glanced down at his watch. "The others should be here soon. Let's head inside."

* * *

In the months since they'd last gone in, the TV world hadn't changed. The leap through the screen and the sight of the studio lot had both brought back a weird sort of not-quite-nostalgia: a mix of good and bad memories that Kanji was glad he'd experienced but definitely didn't want to relive.

Looking at Naoto - standing beside the exit television stack and apparently lost in thought - brought back a different set of feelings. There was an overwhelming sense of relief that they'd made it through the past year, made it together, but it was tinged with a growing sense of anxiety. What did it mean if one half of a couple insisted on keeping it secret? Did Naoto really accept him, or was he an embarrassment? It made a bad sort of sense. Smartest kid in the school, practically a genius – like she'd want anyone seeing her with big dumb Kanji-kun.

...Damn, that was pathetic. Kanji shook his head. He was _better_ than this. Maybe it was lack of sleep just setting his nerves on edge; he'd had another one of the dreams last night. Near-darkness, a sudden fiery heat, a glimpse of Izanagi in the fog. Images and sensations that didn't seem to mean anything, alone or together, but which left him on edge nonetheless.

The group was still waiting on Yosuke to finish his shift in the grocery department, so there was time to chat with Naoto. Kanji walked over to her. "Yo. Doing alright?"

She flashed a quick smile that he couldn't help immediately returning. "Yes, just thinking. I didn't anticipate revisiting this place."

He glanced over at Souji. He was sitting cross-legged beside the fox and absently scratching its ears. "Souji-senpai'll explain it."

"It is vital he does so," she said, folding her arms. "I want to know what transpired during his meeting with Adachi."

"You and me both. And this Margaret chick, I wanna know what the deal is there." Kanji grimaced. "Got a bad feeling about her."

Naoto quirked an eyebrow. "We haven't even met her." Then she frowned. "But I understand the sentiment. I don't know what Senpai meant regarding her intent to test us, but it didn't sound positive."

Since Souji's call the previous night, Kanji had wondered what 'testing' someone implied. He didn't know Margaret or the first thing about how she operated, but to him the phrase suggested only one thing: a fight. "...Maybe we'll have to tussle."

Naoto didn't look surprised; Kanji wondered if she'd been thinking the same thing. "I hope not," she said. "We're desperately out of practice."

"Yeah." Save that one weird flash last December, he'd never even tried summoning Rokuten Maoh. "I know."

Both fell into gloomy silence, Naoto staring glumly at the studio lot floor and Kanji wishing he hadn't brought the idea up. Part of him had originally planned to talk to her about their argument in Okina instead, which they still hadn't addressed - except that'd be an even worse conversation and one they really needed to have elsewhere.

But they needed to have it, period. "Hey. You, uh, wanna hang out after this?" he asked.

Naoto stiffened. "Not so loud," she muttered.

...And this kind of crap was exactly what they needed to hash out. He'd kept his voice low, nobody was remotely within earshot, and asking to hang out didn't even have to _mean_ anything unless you were seriously paranoid. Kanji tried not to grit his teeth. "I wasn't loud."

She hesitated. "...It doesn't matter. Just...be careful." A tug at her cap. "We can go to your house, if you like."

"Yeah, okay." He drew a deep breath. "I think we oughta talk, y'know?"

Her expression suddenly wary, Naoto looked on the verge of responding – until Yosuke chose that moment to tumble into the TV world with a yell, landing heavily next to Souji and sending the fox scurrying.

He sat up, rubbing the small of his back. "...Ow."

Chie grinned at him. "Nice landing, Hanamura. Ten points for technique!"

"It's not my fault! The floor manager showed up out of nowhere," Yosuke grumbled. "It was either jump in quick or wait till he left, and I was running late as is."

"No problem." Souji unfolded his legs and climbed to his feet. "Now we're all here - Rise, can you lead us to Nanako's Heaven?"

"That's where your friend Margaret is?" Kanji asked.

"Yeah. We're going to the top, where we fought Namatame. The portal should still be there."

"Look, Souji." Arms folded, Chie shifted awkwardly in place. "I'll go wherever you want and fight whatever you need me to fight. But could you at least explain what we're doing?"

Rise had evoked, her eyes hidden by the mask Kanzeon was holding over her face. "Senpai...I can sense a presence there," she said, a slight tremble in her voice. "It's _huge_. Bigger than anything we've faced."

"That would be Margaret." He let out a quiet sigh. "When I met with Adachi, he raised a lot of questions, the biggest being how he, Namatame and I got the power to enter the TV. He thinks it may have something to do with when we each arrived in Inaba. Somebody told him about the Midnight Channel on his first day, and – I think someone spoke to me, too, or did _something_, but neither of us can remember who it was." Souji paused, and winced. "Except it's more like – something's _stopping_ us from remembering."

"Huh." Yosuke folded his arms. "So where does Margaret come into this?"

"Margaret and her master have been helping me since the start of the case. I went to them both for help, but found Margaret alone instead."

"And she said she'd help you figure it out?" Chie asked.

Souji hesitated. "…Actually, she challenged me to a battle."

Yosuke's eyes widened. "Dude, for real?"

"A personal favour to her, she said. And a way to test whether we're ready to see the truth."

"So...we're really going to fight her?" Yukiko's eyebrows were angled with worry. "Even if she's as powerful as Rise-chan says?"

"...Sorry to drag you all into this. I just – assumed you'd—" Souji paused again, gave a slight shake of his head, then glanced around the group. "If any of you want to leave, I'll understand."

"Moron." Grinning, Yosuke slung an arm around Souji's shoulder. "We've been with you all the way. What makes you think we'd quit now?"

Whoever this Margaret was and whatever reason she had for picking a fight with Souji, she'd picked one with all of them. "We're with you, Senpai," Kanji said.

Naoto nodded. "Too many questions remain unanswered. If your friend can address even a few of those, it is our duty to confront her."

"I have unanswered questions too! Two of them," Ted said, counting them off on his fingers. "First, is this Margaret lady pretty, and second, did Sensei score with her?"

Souji glanced at Rise – who looked vaguely murderous – and paled. "No comment."

"Then I bet she is! And maybe you did, but it's okay, Teddie would've too. Let's go, Sensei!"

* * *

When they spilled through the portal at the top of Heaven, the sky was pitch black and starless.

Five months on, this world stood out in Kanji's mind more than any other except his own. It wasn't for good reasons – there'd been the desperate rush to save Nanako, and then the fight with Namatame where half the team had been forced to attack their own leader – but nonetheless, he _knew_ this place, and it'd changed. Blue-tinged light seemed to emanate from the floor, casting strange shadows across their faces, and the lack of sunshine had added a chill to the air. Even the light breeze that had skimmed Heaven's open upper levels was gone. Maybe it should've felt sinister, but what he really got was a sense of stillness and expectation.

The huge metal door by the portal had been left open, so the team quickly ran through and across the wooden bridge spanning the darkness. It wasn't until they reached the island on the other side and began to climb the steps to the dais that Kanji was able to see the woman standing at the top.

Yosuke let out a low whistle. "Whoa. She's _beautiful_."

_Beautiful_ didn't do it justice. Tall and regal, the woman looked like a sculpture, all fine angles and perfectly carved features. Her midnight blue clothing blended with the darkness, a sharp contrast to her pale, clear skin and platinum blond hair. She didn't speak at first or even really look at them, instead focusing her attention on methodically brushing dust from the thick leather-bound book in her arms. If this was Margaret, she looked more exquisite than threatening, but that didn't—

"Who _is_ this?" Rise blurted, with a stumbling step back toward the steps. Her eyes were wide and she appeared on the verge of turning to run. "She's—I can't—"

Souji gently gripped her shoulder. "Relax, Rise. Don't try to scan her."

Rise rounded on him, eyes narrowed. "_You_ – you said she – are you and her—" Then she stopped, and rubbed a hand over her mouth. "Okay. Okay, no scanning."

Margaret's gaze skimmed each of them in turn, then finally settled on Souji. Her expression held nothing but indifference. "So, you've come."

He gave a brief bow. "As you requested."

"I spoke with my master after you left. It seems my predecessor – my sister – also requested a duel from our last guest. I called her foolish, but it seems we are kin indeed." Her lips had curved in a small smile, but it vanished in an instant. "Are you sure you're ready?"

"Yes."

Rise made a clumsy grab for his arm. "Senpai, her power's off the charts! _Please_ tell me you're not gonna fight her!"

Yosuke stepped forward, palm cupped upward as if to summon his Persona's card. "Well, if that's what it comes down to, we'll just—"

"No." Margaret kept her gaze firmly on Souji. "I ask that you show me your power alone."

Alone? Who was she kidding? If she was as powerful as Rise had made out, why the hell would Souji ever want to tackle her alone? Senpai wasn't dumb.

"Fall back, guys," Souji said, raising his palm.

…Okay, maybe Senpai _was_. "What the hell?" Kanji snapped.

Teddie blinked at Souji. "Sensei - you're joking, right?"

"Nope." Souji walked closer to Margaret, one careful hand on the hilt of his sword. "If this is what it takes, I'll do it. I have to know the truth."

She nodded, brisk and quick. "As the one who rules over power, I will fight with utmost deference to you. Show me what lies beyond a mere exchange of words!"

At the end of the sentence, she cast the book to her side, but instead of dropping to the floor it remained suspended in midair, pages flipping despite the lack of any breeze. Eight summoning cards appeared around her, floating just like the book, as Margaret too rose up from the dais. She seized one of the cards, crushed it in her hand with a flare of pink light – and a familiar scarlet figure burst into the air. "_Siegfried!"_

"No way!" Rise gasped. "She can use Senpai's Personas?"

Siegfried drove his sword into the ground and a plume of fire blazed toward Souji, a wave of heat surging with it. He evoked in time for Trumpeter to take the brunt of the magic, but the attack still left him staggered. Before he could recover, Margaret summoned again, this time calling - Okuninushi, wasn't it? – and immediately crashing down a powerful Ziodyne. Souji lunged sideways, trying to dodge, but the blast threw him heavily to the floor.

He rolled over onto his knees, card already in his palm. "Yoshitsune!"

With a snarl, Yoshitsune charged across the dais and cleaved his sword through Okuninushi in four, six, eight long strokes. As Okuninushi sputtered out of existence, one of Margaret's cards dropped to the floor. She grabbed another. "Loki! Niflheim!"

Even standing back from the fight, Kanji could feel the torrent of ice; shards of it were landing at his feet. Souji hadn't had time to summon. He was on his hands and knees, a faint figure in swirling, snowy white. The ice storm passed, and again Margaret evoked. "Ardha!"

This was _stupid_. What were they supposed to do, watch Senpai get his ass handed to him? Kanji could feel himself straining forward just as Rokuten Maoh strained at the edges of his mind, demanding to know why they weren't fighting too. Glancing over his shoulder, the others looked equally torn. Yosuke still had one hand out, like he was about to evoke, and Rise had turned deathly pale.

"She's too strong, we have to stop this!" Rise said. "We have to—"

The rest was cut off in a roar of sound and a searing burst of light. Though Kanji mercifully blanked out the Megidolaon's impact, he still felt each bruising smack as he tumbled back down the steps, Yosuke and Yukiko falling along with him in a tangle of limbs.

Damn – if the splash damage had been enough to knock them flying, what about Souji? Kanji groaned, trying to open his eyes and sit upright as Rokuten Maoh crashed around inside his head, telling him to _get up_, stop being such a fricking wuss, Senpai needed his—

"Guys! Are you okay?"

He wrenched his eyes open. Chie was halfway down the steps, body half-twisted like she didn't know whether to help them up or go back to Souji.

"N-No," Yosuke managed, though it ended in a shuddering groan. "My shoulder, it's…dammit, it _hurts_…"

Yukiko climbed stiffly to her feet. "Don't worry, I've got you. Amaterasu!"

As a Mediaharan crested through them – a warm glow in his bones, easing away the throbbing pain - Kanji's eyes flickered shut again, just for a moment. He opened them to see Chie turning back toward the dais.

"We've gotta help Souji!" she said. "No way am I waiting here just watching him get—there's just no way!" She ran back up the steps, blue light already surrounding her hand. "_Suzuka Gongen_!"

Yukiko reached out after her. "W-Wait! Margaret said we—"

"I don't care what she said," Yosuke growled, still gingerly clutching his shoulder. "Souji can't take her alone. What other choice do we have?"

Too right. Kanji pulled himself from the floor and stumbled up the steps. He reached the top just in time to catch a small white figure materialize beside Naoto and shoot toward Margaret. Wasn't that Naoto's new Persona? He'd figured she might've got a _bigger_ one, but—

He shook his head. No time for that. He held his breath and crushed his card in his hand. "Rokuten Maoh!"

Behind him, Rokuten Maoh blasted into being. The big guy looked much the same as he had in Kanji's mind and in the glimpse he'd caught back in December: a burlier, fire-red version of Take-Mikazuchi, clutching a jagged blade in place of the latter's lightning bolt. He lurched forward and brought the sword crashing down, sending streams of electricity racing toward Margaret. The impact knocked her back, and another of the cards floating around her dropped lifelessly to the ground. Suzuka Gongen followed through with a lunge of her spear that Margaret barely dodged – buying enough time for Kanji to dash forward and haul Souji up from the floor. "C'mon, Senpai!"

"N-No," Souji muttered, half-draped from Kanji's shoulder. "I'm…supposed to—"

"_Senpai, you can't do this alone!_" Rise had evoked too, a new Persona standing at her back. "_We're not letting you!_"

Ted quickly called Kamui and cast a Diaharan; still holding Senpai up, Kanji could feel the cool wave wash over them both. "It's okay, Sensei!"

Souji stumbled away from him. "But she said I—"

"Thunder Reign!"

A thunderous rumble, a flash of lightning – and something round and heavy slammed into Kanji head on, knocking him to the floor. He landed badly, hitting his head and dizzying himself. Vague sounds of battle continued around him – people shouting, the roar and crackle of magical energy – until finally he came back to his senses to find Ted sprawled insensate on top of him.

"Get offa me!" he snapped as he shoved at Ted's bulky form. On the other side of the dais, he could see Margaret charging up for an attack, energy racing over her body. She had fewer cards surrounding her now – maybe that was the key? Make it so she couldn't summon? – but whatever she fired out next was going to hurt bad.

Worse, she looked like she was _enjoying_ it. Eyes narrowed, she smiled. "You will honor me by fighting as though you mean to kill. To hold back would be nothing short of insulting! Helel, Morning Star!"

Rise might not have been scanning Margaret, but her hearing was just fine. "_Uh-oh - everyone guard!_"

...Which Kanji couldn't do with Ted on top of him. He grit his teeth, screwed his eyes shut, and braced for impact.

It never came. The terrible, familiar sound of almighty magic was there, the burst of light, the rush of wind that accompanied it – stronger this time, even more than the last Megidolaon, to the point where the air seemed to ripple with energy - yet there was no pain. As the last traces of the spell dissipated, he opened his eyes to see Yamato Takeru floating in front of him and Ted, the Persona's body fizzing and crackling with static. Beside him, Naoto was on her knees, guarding just as Souji had instructed but watching Kanji carefully. When she caught his eye, she gave a firm nod, and laboriously pushed herself to her feet.

She'd just saved his and Ted's hides, no question. Ted was gradually waking, and Kanji was finally able to roll him to one side. While Yukiko helped the bear up, Souji evoked. "Trumpeter! Debilitate!"

As Trumpeter raised its horn, Yosuke's new Persona – a blue, souped-up version of Jiraiya - uncurled into the air and hurled out a violent Garudyne. Kanji instinctively knew he didn't have to be afraid of wind magic anymore, that Rokuten Maoh could take it, but watching Margaret get slammed with the fierce, twisting gust still made him feel slightly sick. She dipped down and almost hit the floor, but pulled herself back up and snatched a card. Siegfried again. Kanji quickly summoned, ready for Rokuten Maoh to take the brunt of her next attack. Waves of fire tore over the dais, unbearable heat and smoke clogging the air. Before the magic could start to fade, Rokuten Maoh lunged forward and smashed down his sword. The blow didn't catch Margaret directly, but the shockwave knocked her back and left her open to a follow-through Bufudyne from Souji's own Loki.

Another card fell. They could _do_ this.

_"Keep at it, guys!_" Rise's voice echoed in his head. "_I think taking out those cards drains her power!"_

Still flickering, Yamato Takeru flashed through the air. In his weakened state, he was easily swatted aside by Cu Chulainn – Naoto flinching with the impact – but the distraction was enough for a revived Ted to shoot off a volley of ice shards. Yet another card dropped to the floor: two remaining.

Suzuka Gongen whirled her spear then spiked it forward. Margaret dodged with inhuman speed, twirled aside from Amaterasu's misaimed Agidyne, and reached for another card. Her hand never made it. Souji had summoned his own Cu Chulainn, and the Persona swung his spear in a wide arc, the hilt slamming into her and flinging her off the back of the dais. As she vanished from view, Souji ran forward, eyes wide with panic.

Yosuke gaped. "Holy crap, a fall like that..."

...But wasn't she supposed to be able to fly or something? She'd been floating earlier, right? The whole team had been whaling on her, so it wasn't like she couldn't take a hit, but a nine-floor plummet was a whole different matter. Kanji dashed forward too, toward the edge of the platform – and straight into a thrashing, whirling blizzard. It _hurt_: ice biting into his skin, chilling him to the bone even through his clothes. Though his eyes were nearly screwed shut against the hail, he could still make out Margaret flying up over the dais with Loki at her back, a single card rotating around her – and Souji, standing upright at the center of the storm, a second Loki hovering behind him.

Kanji had already dropped to his hands and knees. Wait it out, just had to wait it out, but why was it lasting so long?

A hand grabbed his arm. He glanced sideways to see Naoto on one knee beside him, blindly clutching at his sleeve. She'd followed Souji too, he realized, and was trying to pull Kanji back out. He pushed himself up, slung an arm around her as they moved, and staggered out of the ice-storm toward the steps.

The ice-storm whirled around Souji, hail and sleet pounding against him – then died in an instant, Margaret's Loki vanishing along with it. In his place appeared the same figure Kanji had glimpsed earlier: golden, majestic Helel. The Persona raised its hands, ready to call down another crushing almighty attack.

Souji got there first. He summoned his own Helel in a flash and cast Megidolaon at the same instant Margaret's Helel did the same. With two spells cast at once, the thundering sound of almighty magic would be even louder. Kanji clasped his hands over his ears and waited for the racket to end.

It never started. The two spells met in the middle in a burst of blinding light, as each Persona vied to dominate the other - but after only a few seconds, Souji's Helel was flickering with static. Souji himself was grimacing, one hand pressed against his head. Kanji started forward, held out his hand – but before he could call Rokuten Maoh, Yosuke summoned Susano-O, Kamui rolling into the air almost at the same instant. They cast as one: Garudyne from Susano-O, Bufudyne from Kamui, and the two spells were perfectly timed. Kanji winced as a blast of huge frozen spikes, as violent as Loki's storm, slammed into Margaret's Helel and speared it twice through its chest. Golden light shone from the wounds, disrupted by static. It was the last glimpse Kanji caught of the Persona before Souji's Megidolaon finally broke through.

Man, he should've kept his hands over his ears. The roar went on for what felt like ages, even shook the dais – and when the noise and light finally abated, Margaret was kneeling on the floor, her book beside her, her lips still curved in a smile.

"Impressive," she said, slowly rising to her feet. "You, a human, won against me, one who rules over power..."

"But I didn't win alone," Souji said with a shake of his head.

She chuckled. "Precisely."

Realization flashed over his face, followed by a sheepish smile. "…Ah. I should've seen that coming, right?"

"I promised I would offer you what assistance I could, should you prove yourself. You did so admirably. Here." Margaret held out her closed hand, then opened it to reveal a golden light. Souji reached out in turn and she placed something into his upturned palm.

Souji frowned at his glowing hand. "What is it?"

"A crystal of power, nurtured by you throughout your journey. It will allow you to see the truth without being swayed by hollow rumours."

"Rumours aren't the problem," he protested. "It's that I can't _remember_."

"Truth only appears to those who have observed, considered, and made a choice," Margaret said, as she picked up her book and clutched it to her hip. "At the end of the path you chose lies the truth. Believe in it, and continue without faltering."

Souji nodded slowly. "That's, uh, very vague of you." Then he closed his fist and slipped whatever she'd given him into his jacket pocket. "Any chance you could be more specific?"

"No."

Chie let out a sigh. "Figures."

Head tipped slightly, Souji studied Margaret carefully. "You enjoyed that battle, didn't you?"

She smiled again. "Perhaps."

"What's _wrong_ with you?" Rise snapped. "Senpai could've died if we hadn't stepped in!"

"Yet you did, and our battle was instead invigorating to all involved." Margaret paused, tapping her long fingernails against the cover of her book, then looked Souji in the eye. "Before my sister left, she told me this. A soul slumbers at the ends of the world, that of a young man who devoted himself to becoming a seal. That soul is risking itself to prevent mankind from calling down ultimate destruction. She told me she was going to save him from that fate, that she would combine her powers with those who bonded with that soul to enact a miracle." She stepped toward Souji, stroked a finger along his jaw. "You have many bonds of your own. But should your own soul become isolated, and you lose everything – then just as Elizabeth did for the other boy, so I shall do for you."

"Thank you," Souji said quietly.

"No, I must thank you. Of all the humans I've encountered until now, you shook my soul the most. Let us meet again, Souji." With that, Margaret turned away. She held out her hand, moved it as if turning a door knob – and a glowing blue door materialized in front of her. She stepped through without looking back, and once the door had closed behind her, it vanished.

Yosuke idly flipped a knife in his hands, watching the spot where the door had been. "So, that was weird."

"I need to thank all of you, too," Souji said. "There's no way I could have taken her down one-on-one." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Which I guess she already knew."

"Man, we just got totally played," Kanji grumbled. He kind of got why – Margaret had wanted to test them, after all – but it left a bad taste in his mouth nonetheless.

Rise folded her arms with indignation. "She had no right to mess with us like that! Who the heck does she think she is?"

"A very, very powerful woman," Souji said absently.

It seemed like he'd meant to continue the sentence; Yukiko stepped in to finish it. "But together we proved ourselves, right?"

"Yeah, we did!" Chie agreed. "Good work, guys!"

"And nice work bailing out Kanji, Naoto," said Yosuke, with a smirk that made Kanji contemplate putting a boot in his mouth. "Got a soft spot for him, huh?"

Yukiko frowned, first at Naoto, then at Kanji. "Well, of course she does. Aren't they together now?"

…Oh, crap.

Kanji blinked. "Uh."

The entire group had fallen silent. Yosuke was suddenly very interested in the floor, Chie looked like she might be about to drag Yukiko away for her own good, and Rise was looking everywhere except at Kanji or Naoto. Yukiko just looked confused, Ted was indignant, and Souji – Souji didn't even appear to be listening, but what good did that do? Kanji glanced wildly at Naoto. She'd tipped down her cap and turned slightly to the side, but he could still glimpse a full-face blush that rivaled Yukiko's cardigan.

"…Oh," Yukiko said quietly, and winced at the elbow Chie jabbed into her ribs.

"It – It isn't like—" Naoto began, still half-turned away, but Ted got there first.

"Nao-chan helped _me_ too," he pointed out. "Doesn't that mean I get to score with her just like Kanji-chan?"

By this point, Kanji was amazed Naoto hadn't erupted in flames. "H-He hasn't—!"

"Never mind that," Souji cut in, voice urgent. "We have to leave. I – think I've just remembered something."

* * *

_Not now_, had been all that Naoto had mumbled at Kanji on the way out of Junes. Which probably meant not ever, which in turn meant they were going to keep on pretending nothing had happened. Dammit, how long had the rest of the team known? He'd kind of seen it coming – after all, Rise had figured it out already, and Souji had probably known all along - but now even the oblivious Amagi Challenge had them pegged?

It wasn't Yukiko's fault, he knew that. She'd just been speaking the truth. If anyone, Naoto was the one to blame – but just thinking that felt wrong, like he was betraying her somehow. Like he wasn't taking her feelings into account. Like he might lose her, if he wasn't careful.

"Where are we going, Sensei?" Ted asked. It'd started raining while they were in the TV, in heavy, fat drops that splattered against the cheap Junes-brand umbrellas they'd had to pick up before heading across town.

"Moel gas," Souji told him. "_That's_ where I went when I first arrived in town. Something happened to me there."

"You sure?" Yosuke asked. "I mean, that's kind of vague, you know?"

"And it seems like a long shot," Chie said. "Whoever was there on the day you showed probably won't remember it a year later."

Souji's shrug looked far from casual. "I know - but I don't have anything else to go on."

It wasn't long before they arrived at the gas station. Due to the weather and the late hour, the shopping district was deserted, save for one person: a long-haired guy Kanji had seen only once or twice before, manning the petrol pumps at Moel.

...Thinking about it, hadn't it been raining the other times Kanji had seen him? Weird to only work outside on rainy days. Souji seemed a little freaked out too, wide-eyed gaze fixed firmly on the attendant as he inspected the data screen on one of the pumps.

The guy noticed them, then. Though his face was only partly visible beneath the brim of his baseball cap, Kanji could still see him break into a lopsided smile. "Hi there, welcome to Moel. Do you need something?"

"It was you," Souji said, quick and quiet and firm. "You - did something to me."

_Way to cut to the chase, Senpai_. The attendant raised an eyebrow. "...'Did something'?"

"When I arrived here. Same as you did to Adachi and Namatame."

The attendant didn't seem fazed. He just smiled that same strange, uneven smile, and shrugged. "I welcomed you to town. Don't you remember?"

"I remember everything, now," Souji insisted. He'd braced himself, falling into a fighting stance. "_You_ gave me the power."

Chuckling, the attendant tipped back his cap. "Ah, I've been waiting for you, Souji Seta. Dreams, half-memories…I'd wondered whether they'd lead you here."

"I don't get this," Yosuke cut in, turning from Souji to the attendant. "Do you have something to do with—"

"Namatame, Adachi, Seta - I am the one who awakened the power dormant within you three." The attendant held out his hand, as if motioning to shake. "Just like _this_."

On the final word, Souji gasped in pain and dropped to one knee. Rise darted forward and knelt down beside him, clutching at his arm. "Senpai!"

"The hell'd you do to him?" Kanji snarled.

"All it takes is a gentle push," the attendant – or whoever or whatever he really was – continued. "A handful of strangers were more than sufficient to stimulate a small place like this. Enough to envelop this town with fog, and later lift it - but why do you stand before me now?"

"To...learn the truth," Souji managed through gritted teeth. "Who are you really?"

The attendant shook his head dismissively. "Grasping for the truth accomplishes nothing."

"I need...to know! Who _are_ you?"

With that, Souji thrust his hand in his pocket and pulled out the glowing object Margaret had given him. It wasn't _doing_ anything other than giving off that same golden light as before, and Souji didn't seem to know what else to do with it. The attendant quirked an eyebrow, then chuckled again.

"Ah, I see. You awakened to a power I had not imagined - and now you stand before me with it. Perhaps this is fate." He tilted his head, watching Souji with an idle sort of interest. "Very well."

And from nowhere, the fog rolled in.

Three months on, Kanji still hadn't forgotten how it had felt; the way the air seemed to congeal around you, masking sight and muffling sound. TV world fog was unmistakable. The light from the streetlamps was swallowed by the murky grey, casting the group into near-darkness – but they could still see the figure floating over them, just above the place where the attendant had been standing. He – no, _she_ – was clad entirely in white, with skin nearly as pale again.

"_I...am Izanami_," she said.

Naoto drew a sharp breath. "The goddess..."

Souji pushed himself to his feet. Kanji watched his fists clench. "So, you're behind all this."

"Wait, she is?" Yosuke frowned. "But what about that other thing we fought? The ruler of the fog?"

"_Ameno-sagiri is merely an aspect of myself that I birthed long ago. But I can no longer ignore this situation as mere foolishness, when it may be fate decreed by the world._" Izanami's voice was calm, though not without a note of curiosity."_This time, I shall pit my full strength against you._"

Ameno-sagiri had been tough enough, and that was just _part_ of her? Kanji shook his head. "But last time we nearly—"

"_Izanagi._" It took a moment to realize she was talking to Souji. "_Will you show me honour, as you failed to do before?_"

Souji stared up at her. His hands had uncurled at his sides. "...Yes."

"_Then find me. I will be waiting for you in that other world._"

There was no big thunderclap or flash of light. Just a quiet sound, like a piece of glass cracking – and Izanami vanished, the fog dissipating as quickly as it had arrived.

"Whoa." Yosuke let out a whistle. "That was even weirder than Margaret."

Chie shrugged a little helplessly. "Well...we figured out who's behind it all, at least?"

"Yes," said Naoto. "A god who wants a fight."

Yosuke rolled his eyes then grinned. "When do they ever wanna do anything else? Either they're Personas fighting with us or they're bad guys fighting against us. Not much difference."

"There's a huge difference," Naoto shot back. "She is a _goddess_, Yosuke-senpai. Any good student of Japanese mythology would know Izanami as—"

"Yeah, I know. I was in that lecture back on Port Island too. She's a goddess of creation and death, the ruler of Yomi, blah blah. It doesn't _matter_," he insisted, gesturing for emphasis. "If we don't go after her, we'll never figure out what was really happening here this past year. Hell, the fog just came back! Who's to say that won't happen again, and permanently?"

Souji gave a sharp nod. "Agreed. I need to confront her. I need to find out what she wants from him."

"We," Yosuke corrected. "And we just need to beat her, that's all. We'll be lying to ourselves if we say the case is closed now."

"I – I don't know about this." Rise had wrapped her arms around herself, probably as much for comfort as against the early spring chill. "Even without Kanzeon, I could sense how powerful she was. She makes that Margaret look like an ordinary Shadow."

Chie eyed Souji carefully. "You really think we can beat her?"

"We can try," he said. "I care about this town, and the people in it. I want it to be safe. I'll face whatever it takes to make sure that happens, gas station goddesses included."

"Okay. Okay!" Chie hopped back and punched a fist into her palm. "So we do this tomorrow, right?"

Souji's gaze drifted over each of them in turn. "I'm sorry to have to ask you all twice in one day – but are you up for this?"

Nods of assent came in response, along with a much needed, emphatic "Hell yeah!" from Chie.

"I think Margaret was a pretty good warm-up, right?" Yosuke said with a grin. It was to his credit, Kanji figured, that it only looked slightly forced.

"To say the least." Likewise, Souji's smile only made it halfway there. "We're as ready as we'll ever be. Head home, everyone, and we'll meet at Junes tomorrow afternoon."

As the group began to filter away, Kanji laid a hand on Naoto's shoulder. "Yo, wait a sec."

She didn't look up at him. Wasn't a good sign. "Yes."

What he wanted to say was: _it's okay, it doesn't matter that they know_. What came out was, "Just wanted to say thanks. For helping me earlier."

"Of course."

Like she would've believed him even if he _had_ said it. The idea of people finding out about them was still anathema to her – but they _had_ found out, so she had to get used to it, right? He sighed, dropping his hand to his side, and rolled his shoulders. "I – look, I got nothing to do rest of the evening. We could still hang out."

"We're both tired," she said flatly. "We should go home as Souji-senpai instructed."

He shook his head and rubbed a hand over his face. "Naoto, I think we've gotta—"

"Why did you tell them?" She was finally staring up at him now, blue-grey eyes narrowed and accusing.

Kanji jolted, startled. "I-I didn't, man, I swear."

"You must have. Otherwise they wouldn't—"

He grabbed her hand, looked her dead in the eye. "I just told you, I _didn't_. But they know now, so we gotta deal, yeah?" He sighed, hand still gripping hers. "They – shit, they don't even care, why would they? Why would you?"

She pulled away. "It – it _changes_ things. The team dynamic, it's—"

"S'got nothing to do with that! You're just – I dunno. Ashamed, or whatever." Then, because he wasn't quick enough to catch himself, because right now it made a horrible, twisted sort of sense, "If it was Senpai you were with, you wouldn't be like this."

For a second, Naoto looked stunned – then furious. She jabbed a finger against his chest. "That is a ridiculous assertion!"

"Um, Kanji-kun, Naoto-kun?" Distracted, he hadn't even noticed Yukiko approach. "You, um, probably shouldn't be arguing in the street."

"...W-We're not arguing," Naoto objected, though a little halfheartedly, her anger clearly deflated. She turned back to Kanji, though she didn't meet his gaze. "I – I'm sorry. I didn't intend to raise my voice."

"S'fine," he said reflexively. "I—"

There was no time to finish; Naoto was already turning away. "I need to leave now. Goodnight."

She headed south in short, quick strides, past the bus stop – was she planning on walking the whole way home? – and across the road. A part of Kanji debated following, another wanted to yell at her to stop being an idiot, but the rest of him figured that both options were dumb and that what Naoto needed to do right now was cool off.

He turned to Yukiko. "Sorry 'bout that. She's pissed that people know."

"I – I'm sorry. I just thought – everyone already knew. There are so many rumours at school and it seemed to make sense that you'd both be..." Yukiko trailed off, biting her lip. "Was I wrong?"

Kanji let out a heavy sigh and scuffed his foot against the ground. "No, you weren't."

"Then Naoto-kun just doesn't want people to know?" Yukiko paused, looking thoughtful. "I...suppose I can understand that."

"You can?"

"Well, I'd be anxious about it too. And Naoto-kun...well, from what she told us and the way she was before she joined the team, I - don't think she gets how people's feelings work, you know? Especially her own." Yukiko tilted her head with a frown. "She's probably scared."

Worst part was, Yukiko was on point. Kanji couldn't claim to fully understand Naoto, but he got plenty of parts, even when he didn't really want to and even though the knowledge didn't keep him from screwing up anyway. Yukiko had just voiced out loud what he already knew. Of course Naoto was scared shitless; if nothing else, her leaving Inaba had proved that. And hell, he knew the feeling, to the point where his chest ached with sympathy. But the way she expressed it – the secrecy, the paranoia, the arbitrary lines she drew in the sand – fed into all of his own insecurities. Buying into the _she's-too-good-for-me_ deal was way easier than facing up to the truth: that Naoto had no idea what she was doing, that he was almost as clueless again, and that between the two of them they stood to break a lot of stuff.

...But that, he figured, was part of being with someone – which this was his first attempt at doing, in a case where both parties had some pretty major interpersonal failings. Screw sunshine and rainbows, they were lucky to have made it two steps out the gate.

He ran a hand through his hair, limp from the damp air, and looked back at Yukiko. "Thought Rise was supposed to be the one who sees through people," he said, mustering a smile.

"I do pay _some_ attention." Yukiko's forehead creased into a frown. "Just not enough. I'm sorry I made things difficult."

"Not your fault. What were you supposed to do, pretend you didn't know forever?" He shook his head. Maybe that was what everyone else had planned on doing, but it'd be plain stupid. "Better that everything's out in the open, 'specially if we're gonna go throw down with a god tomorrow."

Her face paled, colour draining in an instant. "Yes. Especially." Then she shook her head. "We – should go home and prepare, I suppose."

The rain was already easing off. "Yeah. Later, Yukiko-senpai." With that he turned and walked down the street, back toward the textiles shop.

* * *

The air was warm and stale, and smelled like – he wasn't sure. It was pungent, maybe slightly sweet, but the surroundings were too dim to tell the source.

He stepped forward. The ground felt wet and uneven beneath his bare feet. He could sense rather than see the fog, too familiar with the way it clung to his skin and seeped in with every breath. Except the fog had been driven out months ago, he realized in a startling moment of clarity – which faded the next instant. The smell was growing worse as he walked: sickly sweet and putrid.

_Defy mankind's wishes, and you are destined to be trapped here forever._

Though it seemed to come from inside his skull, the voice was familiar. He couldn't place where. Some time recently, something important he'd been told...

He caught a sudden noise ahead of him, then a flare of light in the fog.

The first thing he noticed was the blood pooled around his feet. As the fog rolled back, he realized it was covering the rocky ground – and dripping from the bodies suspended a meter in the air ahead. Each one was surrounded by flies and crawling with maggots, to the point they were unrecognizable - almost. The clothes, he'd seen before. One in particular – dressed all in blue – was horribly, bizarrely familiar, to the point where his stomach churned with overwhelming nausea. He bent double, ready to throw up, but nothing came out except bile. When he straightened, another figure was standing ahead, motionless but alive. Grey-haired, which was again familiar, though in a way that made him feel safe and reassured - until the hum of magic throbbed through him and the air behind the figure burst into life.

The figure lifted a hand, and the masked creature behind swiveled its spear.

_Defy mankind's wishes, and you are all destined to fall but him._

As he staggered back through pools of blood, his head was spinning. This person was trustworthy, his mind told him, his mentor. Yet another voice in his head spoke louder: a deep rumbling that used no words but rang out as a warning.

Kanji lifted his head. The figure was laughing, the creature rippled with electricity, and the hanging bodies' hollowed-out eyes just wouldn't stop staring – all of which vanished when the spear thrust forward and plunged through his chest.

* * *

His eyes snapped open.

...Holy crap, what had _that_ been about?

The room was dark and too hot - sweat beading on his forehead, sheets tangled around his legs – and it felt like his heart might hammer straight through his ribs, a sharp stab of pain with every beat. He gulped for air, fists clenched so tightly his nails dug into his palms, and tried desperately to even out his breathing. Dammit, dammit, just a stupid nightmare, no reason to lose it so bad, no need to get so—

Except it'd felt ten times more real than any other dream he'd ever had...and yet still somehow like the others that'd visited him throughout the year. There'd been the fog, and Izanagi. Visceral and terrifying as this nightmare had been, it felt like it hung together with all the rest. Like all of this had been building up for months, and maybe longer. How long had Izanami been expecting Souji to come for her? Since the start? Maybe the dreams had just been a way to lure him out, but then why put the whole team through them?

Or maybe the dreams were just that. Meaningless. Kanji wanted to think so – but right now, believing it was difficult.

He sat up and fumbled around for his phone. He'd unclenched his fists but the shake in his hands still made him miss the buttons twice as he tried to pull up Naoto's number. The phone rang only once before she picked up.

"Hey. S'me," he said, before she could speak. "Sorry, I know it's—"

"_I was awake. Did you—_"

"Yeah." He swallowed. "Yeah."

"_It was – different, yet similar to the other dreams."_

"Just clearer. Too clear."

"_I suspect Izanami is sending us a message, as she has most likely been doing for months_."

"Woulda been nice if she let us sleep the night before we go to kick her ass, huh?"

Naoto sighed quietly. _"I suppose it's more than we could expect."_

They lapsed into silence, Kanji scrambling for something else to say. Naoto was the one to break it.

_"If – if that's all, Kanji, I'll—"_

"I love you."

Crap. That was a mistake. He was tired and freaked out, blurting out stuff he didn't mean.

...No, not stuff he didn't mean. Stuff he meant all too much but that might scare Naoto off – and probably had. The silence on the other end of the line was deafening. Kanji couldn't even hear her breathing.

"Shit, s-sorry," he stumbled. "You - don't have to say it back." He took a deep breath. "But I do."

Yet more silence, stretching out for what felt like hours - until she finally spoke. "_I – I know. I—"_

"I just – I guess I had to say it." He tried for a rough chuckle. "Y'know, since we're facing down a god tomorrow an' all."

_"Today. It's already two a.m." _A pause._ "You're not going back to sleep."_

And face Izanami's horror show all over again? "No way."

"_I won't either._" She took a breath, barely audible through the phone. "_I'm – at the apartment. You could—"_

"You want me to—?"

_"Or I-I could come to—"_

"N-No way. Ma would kill us both." Didn't matter how badly either of them needed company, needed someone who _got_ it. "I – I'll head over to you, yeah?"

_"...Very well. I'll see you soon."_

* * *

One hour later, he was sitting on the sofa in the living room of Naoto's small apartment, elbows resting on his knees.

Two cups of tea were on the low table in front of him. He'd picked his up and put it down again three or four times in the last five minutes, just for something to do other than stew in his thoughts. Naoto had disappeared into the bedroom immediately after making the drinks, leaving him alone. It was ten minutes later, enough time for the tea to cool completely, before she eventually resurfaced.

His eyes were drawn to the box in her hand. It was small and square, and a brilliant blue. "What's that?"

She placed the box on the table. "A gift," she said, as she knelt on the other side.

A gift? "Thought you were mad at me."

"It's...complicated. Open the box."

Brow furrowed, Kanji lifted the lid. Inside, nestled in white tissue paper, was a black digital watch - thick and clunky-looking with a square face. The time read _03:17 _in blocky green numbers. "This is for me?"

"Press the top button on the right side," Naoto instructed.

When he did, the display changed. "It says one-point-one-em."

"One-point-one meters." She held up her other hand, showing the identical watch on her wrist. "It's – how far away we are from each other."

He blinked. "Oh. Right."

"I mean, the p-precision is lacking, I could only fit the distance to one decimal place while still including the unit, and the transmitter and sensor ranges are both limited so it won't work unless we're relatively close." She took a breath. "But I – I thought we could both wear them in any case. So each of us will know where the other is."

Okay, so that'd come out a little...well, stalker-ish. But when Kanji put the pieces together – the quiet and sincere way Naoto had said it, the fact that nobody had ever made him anything before, the idea that she cared enough to wonder where he was – he couldn't help grinning back. "This is all so I can't sneak up on you, right?" he said, slipping the watch over his wrist.

Naoto frowned. "...No."

"I know, I know." He tested a few of the other buttons, flicking between the time, the date, and the distance. She'd said she made stuff, but this was a whole other level. "Thanks, Naoto. This is the coolest gift I ever got."

"It was intended for White Day," she said softly. "But...I thought. What we're doing later today, it could—"

"Hey. Don't." They couldn't afford to start thinking that way. His stomach lurched, as if the thought itself had plunged into his body and twisted it into knots. "We're all gonna be fine. We're always fine."

She stared at the table, biting her lip, then lifted her gaze. "Do you truly believe that?"

He swallowed hard. "I've got to, y'know?"

Naoto studied him for a long moment, expression unreadable. Then she stood up from the floor, moved to kneel beside him on the sofa. With two fingers against his chin, she tilted his head toward her and pressed a lingering kiss to his mouth. When they broke away, Kanji hesitated, feeling like he should say something, uncertain of what that something should be – then dipped his head forward and leaned his forehead against hers. He'd grabbed her left hand without thinking, twining their fingers together.

Naoto said nothing. Her breath was warm and unsteady as she raised her free hand to the back of his head, thumb brushing the hair at the nape of his neck.

A dozen thoughts raced through his mind – questions about why she acted the way she did, apologies for needing to ask, even how pissed off Ma would be if she knew he was here – but one shoved its way to the front: a familiar, almost piercing gratitude that he was perhaps the only one allowed to know Naoto could be this gentle and unguarded.

"Don't go," she blurted, fingers tightening around his.

"I - I can stay till morning."

Didn't really answer the question, he knew that - but she still raised her head and kissed him again, all the usual hesitation gone. Some distant part of him still wanted to talk, to hash things out; the rest relaxed into the kiss by degrees. Naoto slipped an arm around his back, using his weight to shift herself closer. Eventually she pulled back and tugged him into a tight embrace, her chin resting on his shoulder.

"You're right. We'll be fine," she told him, voice probably not as firm as she'd intended. Kanji was still desperately grateful for the effort.

After a moment, he pulled back. "But you still want me to stay?"

"...It isn't necessary," she said, staring down at her hands clasping her knees.

Kanji sighed, then ran his fingers through her short hair. "Who said it needed to be?"

* * *

When he woke again, dim light was filtering through the window blinds. For a moment he was disorientated, expecting his mind to be reeling from nightmares – but there was nothing.

He figured it was around seven in the morning; he couldn't be certain, since he couldn't dislodge his arm to check his new watch. For someone of his height, sleeping on the sofa had been uncomfortable. His neck felt stiff, his arm was numb, and his back ached like nothing else. Even so, he didn't move. Naoto was curled up beside him, back pressed to his front, with his free arm draped over her.

He dipped his head, pressed a kiss to the top of hers, and held her a little tighter.


	45. Interlude 13

_(Belated warning for some violence and gruesome imagery in this one.)_

* * *

Naoto woke to heat, darkness, and the taste of iron and dirt in her mouth.

Though her head felt clogged, panic quickly set in. Something was weighing down her limbs, pressing against her skin, pushing down on her eyelids. Instinctively she tried to free her arms, fingers scrabbling at whatever she was covered—no. _Buried_ in. It was soil, that was the where the taste came from. There was dirt in her mouth and nose and her lungs were burning, her breath ragged and frantic and—

_(stop-calmdowncalmdown-think-clearly)_

Yamato Takeru. His voice was like birdsong, different to Sukuna-Hikona's buzz and yet the same. The soil was loose, so logically, there had to be air pockets. She clawed at it urgently, working her arms upward, searching for the surface, swallowing the urge to scream.

Finally, her right hand broke through to warm air. She groped around for something to hold on to and found what felt like the edge of a heavy stone. Gripping it was difficult from this angle, but the panic was building again, and with a strength born of desperation Naoto slowly dragged herself up through the dirt. She lunged through the surface, scattering it around her, and crawled out of her makeshift grave.

She'd expected to see light, but her surroundings were only dimly lit. Her body was torn between coughing violently and gasping for breath, and it took several minutes before she could register that she was in some sort of cave. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, and she'd grabbed on to part of a jutting rock formation. The only light came from a fiery torch about two meters above her, too little to tell how large the cave was.

Where was she? Why weren't the others—

Everything rushed up behind her, all at once. The fight. Izanami, skeletal arms reaching as she'd reared back. The dark pool that had appeared beneath Souji, and how Teddie had been the first to—

He'd been first, but he hadn't been the only one. Chie had been next. Then Kanji. Naoto had gone after that, and then most likely the others, Souji included. The thought gutted her, leaving behind a raw and bitter ache far too familiar to the one she'd felt eleven years ago, when Yakushiji had called her from her grandfather's study and haltingly explained what had happened to her parents. Then, as now, it seemed like the only sensible answer was to stop. To give up.

…Which her parents would never have condoned. Nor would the team.

_(standup-keepwalking-we're-stronger-now)_

Naoto pulled herself to her feet.

* * *

_The watch was more conspicuous than Naoto had anticipated during construction. It could still be hidden under her jacket sleeve though, and the others had so far been polite enough not to mention that Kanji now wore an identical model. _

_Up ahead, Rise and Kanzeon were leading them along a path of red tile, through the fog toward Izanami. The fog swallowed all sound, muffling even their footsteps. _

_"Not much further, guys," Rise said._

_"This place is—" Souji hesitated. "Familiar, I guess?"_

_"Duh, Senpai. It's foggy. That's pretty familiar to all of us."_

_Rise was trying to keep her voice light, but there was an undercurrent of tension that had been present since they'd entered the TV world. Kanzeon had instantly picked up on Izanami's presence, as strongly as if hundreds of Shadows were bearing down on the group. Factor in the dreams they'd all almost certainly had last night, and...well. Rise might be a good actress but she knew better than all of them exactly what they were going to face - which, Naoto reasoned, was precisely the reason she was trying and failing to sound optimistic. _

_Souji was walking alongside Rise, one hand resting on her shoulder. Teddie was trying to do the same with Yosuke, who kept shrugging him off. Off to the side, Chie and Yukiko were in quiet conversation. Finally, on the opposite side of the group, Kanji was walking in silence, metal shield tucked under his arm. _

_Naoto glanced at her watch. _3m.

_She looked back at Kanji, caught his eye – earning a nod and a lopsided smile – then turned her attention back to the path ahead._

* * *

The cave's corridors were maze-like and difficult to navigate. Yamato Takeru floated obediently beside Naoto as she walked, casting enough light for her to see three or four meters ahead and more than enough to illuminate the insects crawling the rocky walls. The air was warm and smelled sickly-sweet, yet tasted sour.

Izanami had killed them, and while mythology was not one of Naoto's typical areas of knowledge or interest, she'd done some research following the awakening of her Persona. Given the circumstances, she could guess where she had been sent. If she was dead, yet still aware, then presumably one or more of the others would be in the same predicament. It seemed like a long shot, but right now she was not above clinging to futile hopes. She continued walking, carefully checking for signs of other presences, until one of the corridors opened up into a large chamber. There were only two torches, both placed far higher up, meaning she still had to rely on Yamato Takeru for light. As she and her Persona moved further inside, she caught sight of a figure. Its head was tipped down and Yamato Takeru's light glinted off silver hair.

She quickened her pace. "Souji-senpai? Are you—"

Souji raised his head. Yellow eyes glowed in their sockets. "Hey, Naoto-kun."

* * *

_The orb in Souji's hands was glowing, its brightness rapidly increasing. He threw it into the air above him just as it split in two and spilled out brilliant white light. _

_Izanami lurched back, white robes flowing with the motion – then burst open. Dark red claws tore out of her chest, the colour of dried blood and attached to skeletal arms draped with rotting skin. The sharp vertebrae of her spine followed, ripping through her body as her shredded robes fell to the floor around her. What was left of the cloth hung limply around what appeared to be her neck – and above that, hair splayed out in tendrils, was a gaunt figure in the rough shape of a human, visible only from the torso up._

"I...am a god,"_ she said, a sound that reverberated through Naoto's skull. _"I will teach you the truth of your miniscule existences."

_Kanji had been on the floor, taken down by a powerful Bufudyne. Breathing hard, he stumbled to his feet. "...A god, huh? Bring it on!"_

"You cannot defeat me with strength alone. Soon, you will understand."

_Naoto readied her pistol out of habit; what use would it be against a god? Yamato Takeru was depleted and unable to cast Megidolaon, reducing him to a string of physical attacks that had left her exhausted. And now they had to fight this? Kanji's nerve was more absurd than commendable._

"We can do it, guys!" _Rise's voice, via Kanzeon. _"We'll prove she's wrong about us!"

_Rise didn't sound convinced. She wasn't the only one; they were hopelessly outmatched. It had been easier to be brave when they first encountered Izanami in her semi-human form, easier to insist she was wrong and that she had no right to recreate their world. But she was a goddess. One who had created the Midnight Channel and wrapped Inaba in fog, all to satisfy the unquestionable demands of humans. One who, according to myth, was involved in the creation of an entire country, and many of the gods and goddesses that followed._

_How could a gang of teenagers stand against that?_

* * *

"So, you finally got here," said Souji. "Had to dig yourself out, huh?"

Naoto tensed her jaw. "You knew I was there?"

"Yep." He tapped his temple. "I know everything about you. You spilled the whole deal to me, flaws and fears." He let out a laugh, casually cruel. "And then you died for me. Was it worth it?"

...It wasn't Souji. It was his Shadow. Except Souji had never had a Shadow, Yosuke and Teddie had both confirmed as much, so why was—

"You all try so hard for me. And you – you _love_ me, don't you?" He tilted his head. "Poor Kanji-chan just gets off on you trying to be a guy, but me – I'd be different. _You'd_ be someone different."

"I'm not _trying_ to be—" Naoto cut herself short, fists clenching at her sides. This might be Souji, but only a facet. And while she did love him, enough to die for him, it wasn't in the way his Shadow claimed. She'd been in love with the idea, the thought that her courageous, intelligent, competent Senpai might view her in the same terms.

But in a different world, perhaps she would've—

No. Thinking along those lines would leave her vulnerable. Yamato Takeru chirped at the edge of her mind, encouraging her, reminding her of the gains she'd made. "You're wrong," she said, forcing her voice steady. "I do not feel that way, and Kanji's opinions are none of your concern."

Souji's expression hardened. "Always living in denial, Naoto-_chan_. Disowning your thoughts, your feelings, your very self."

Souji – the _real_ Souji – had helped her work through her feelings, or so she'd hoped. It had felt clear-cut at the time – she was a woman, and a detective – but after the fact she could see the issue was far more complicated. The difference was that she was now willing to face it head-on, rather than throwing herself into a single identity. She was male and female, adult and child, with all the complexities that went with that. "I do not deny who I am," she said, forcing herself to leave off the _Senpai_. "Your true self helped me acknowledge the many facets of my own."

"Really?" Souji folded his arms. "You knew we had no chance against Izanami, right from the start, and yet you followed me here all the same. If that's not denial, what is?"

"You're right. I believe we all knew our cause was potentially hopeless." Naoto straightened her back. "But we have no choice. If we fail to stand against Izanami, if we aren't willing to take that risk, then our world will be lost in the fog."

"You speak like it isn't already."

"Whether or not I am alive, I remain aware. And while one of us remains standing, there is still hope."

Souji let out an exaggerated sigh. "While you remain standing, huh?" A card flashed into his palm. "Let's see if we can fix that."

* * *

_Izanami rose above them, decaying flesh and too many limbs. Her voice echoed through Naoto's bones._ "Accept the reality of your death."

_Darkness welled up at Souji's feet. It stretched upward in long fingers, a hand ready to clench around him. He lifted his sword as if to slash his way out – and was shoved to the side, landing on his hands and knees. In his place stood Teddie, the thin black claws almost absurd against the red and blue of his round suit. He turned to Souji, opened his mouth to speak, just before the hand clamped shut._

_Souji scrambled to his feet, lunging forward with a cry as the fingers dragged Teddie down into the dark. With nothing to grab, he stumbled, and another black pool appeared at his feet. _

_Chie was closest. She went more loudly than Teddie, yelling and cursing as the darkness wrapped around her legs and she desperately tried to kick her way out. The fingers climbed up and she launched a volley of vicious swipes and punches – all of which stopped when a thick tendril grabbed her head and sharply twisted sideways, snapping her neck. Souji was on his back and watching as she fell lifeless into the dark._

_Again the darkness welled beneath him. Kanji was already barreling toward him, one elbow raised._

_Even in the chaos of the fight, their deaths were almost orderly. _

* * *

At first, Naoto had been grateful that Souji's Shadow only seemed able to use Izanagi – but Ziodyne after searing Ziodyne had left her reeling. Yamato Takeru's abilities were made for clearing Shadow mobs, not a straight-up, one-on-one duel. He flickered with static above her, both of them weak from the physical attacks she'd fallen back on using. The Megidolaons had worked, but they were designed as a last resort: powerful attacks that hit hard but sapped her Persona's energy far too quickly.

Izanagi angled its spear and lunged forward. Yamato Takeru's small size made him a difficult target to hit but the tip of the spear still came perilously close. He darted sideways and upward, and used the last of his magical power to slam down a final Megidolaon. Light blazed, the cavern rumbled – and when Naoto's vision cleared, Izanagi had lurched back, Souji on his knees in response. She thought then that she might be victorious – until Izanagi threw out another Ziodyne, this one strong enough to blast her into the cavern wall.

She hit the ground convulsing, blood in her mouth from where she'd bitten her tongue. Yamato Takeru floated in front of her, shielding her from further attack; either she'd called him back subconsciously, or Personas instinctively protected their other selves. As the shock effect wore off, she sent him shooting forward, sword drawn. He dodged a swipe from Izanagi's spear, darted behind the other Persona, curved up and around its back – and sliced Izanagi's mask in two.

She hadn't known what to expect underneath the mask. A pair of shades and a spiral of red hair wouldn't have made the list. "S-Susano-O?"

And if Susano-O was here, then she was fighting… "Yosuke-senpai! Stop!"

Ahead of her, Souji had shifted into Yosuke's form, or perhaps the illusion that he was Souji had been dispelled. Naoto wasn't sure. She was more concerned by the fact that Susano-O appeared to be gearing up for another attack. "Yosuke-senpai!"

Susano-O paused, the winds of a budding Garudyne swirling around its hands – then vanished. Grimacing, Yosuke grabbed his head. He rubbed his eyes – why wasn't he wearing his glasses? – blinked, then stared at her. "W-Wait a sec - Naoto-kun?"

Naoto couldn't summon the energy to stand, instead using the rocky wall to pull herself into a sitting position. "Yes. P-Precisely."

Yosuke stumbled toward her. "Why were you—crap, I'm sorry! I thought you were Souji!" He winced. "And I know that sounds really, _really_ bad, but I can explain."

"No need. You thought his Shadow was attacking you, correct?"

"After he said a bunch of crap I wish I hadn't heard, yeah." He crouched down beside her and evoked again. Naoto closed her eyes as a Diarama breezed over her, gentle and cool. She opened them to see Yosuke cast the same magic on himself before Susano-O disappeared a second time. "When did you learn Ziodyne?" he asked.

"I didn't."

"You were using it the whole time!" Yosuke protested. "I'm stronger to it now, but dude, it still seriously hurt."

"I used Megidolaon and physicals. _You_ were the one using Ziodyne."

"How would I do that? All I've got is wind magic." His brow creased into a frown. "Unless – we just imagined it, because we thought we were fighting Souji?"

Naoto shook her head. "The electric shocks had physical effects. Convulsions, muscle spasms and the like. Something may well be twisting our energies to mimic Souji's attacks."

"…And by something, you mean Izanami?"

She swallowed, leaning her head back against the cavern wall. "I don't know."

Yosuke looked her up and down, frowning. "Dude, you're covered in dirt. What were you doing?"

"Nothing. Have you seen Ka—any of the others?"

Ideally, Yosuke would have been decent enough not to mention the slip. This, however, was Yosuke. "Haven't seen Kanji yet. You're the first person I found." He hesitated, watching her carefully. "What you said to him, before he went. I think he—"

Naoto stood, grabbing the rocks for support. "Let's keep moving. We need to locate Souji-senpai."

* * *

_The moment he pushed Senpai away, one of the dark tendrils was already snared around Kanji's leg._

_Naoto launched herself forward without thinking, evoking as she raced toward him. Yamato Takeru sliced the tendril in half but two more spiraled up and latched onto Kanji's thighs. She pulled out her pistol – useless against the goddess, just like everything else – and fired again and again, severing the shadowy fingers that kept sliding up from the darkness. For every one she sliced or shot through, two more appeared, then three more, then four. _

_She lunged forward and grabbed Kanji's hand._

_"Let go!" He tried to jerk away, but the tendrils held him in place. "Get outta here, Naoto!"_

Please, Naoto-kun, don't, don't, _Rise kept pleading._ _Naoto pulled hard, hard as she could, the muscles in her arms burning with the strain. Kanji was sinking further into the darkness, she knew she couldn't drag him out, she'd always been too weak, but what else was she supposed to do?_

_"Shit, I told you, let go! Why won't you just—"_

_"I love you," Naoto blurted. Her eyes were stinging (always too weak) and there was nothing she could do, he was in the pool up to his waist and the fingers were reaching for her now and—_

_Kanji freed his arm just long enough to lash out at her calves and send her tumbling backward. Naoto hit the floor, rolled over, watched as he twisted and thrashed. He grabbed one of the tendrils, tried to push it away – then lost his grip. The tendril reared back and plunged through his chest._

_Blood sprayed over the tiled floor. Far behind her, Souji was screaming. _

_Movement was impossible. Kanji had disappeared into the dark but she couldn't tear her eyes away. She didn't register that Souji was yelling her name until the fingers curled around her. Rise was sobbing, the sound merging with Yamato Takeru's desperate squawks in Naoto's mind. She snapped back to awareness. She'd dropped her gun at some point, but she fought all the same, jerking in the tendrils' grip, struggling against their pull, Kanji's death _hadn't_ been useless, she just needed to—_

_"Senpai!" she yelled. "Leave! Senp—"_

_One of the fingers speared through her throat, severed her spinal cord. Everything stopped._

* * *

Yamato Takeru led the way, their one source of light in the cave's dark corridors.

"Hey...Naoto," Yosuke said quietly. "Do you think we actually died?"

As yet, Naoto hadn't settled on an answer. Prior events and Izanami's role as a goddess meant they were indeed most likely dead. Then again, she'd been desperate for oxygen beneath the dirt. Had that been purely psychological? Their glasses were gone, so perhaps they were no longer in the physical world – but she'd still been able to hear and summon Yamato Takeru. She shrugged. "It's difficult to say."

"Yeah, I don't know what to think either. We'll ask the others. They have to be here somewhere," Yosuke said, though he didn't sound confident. "I'm seriously worried about Souji."

"Do you remember what happened to him?"

"Nope. After you – went, I tried to save him and those hands got me," he said, a tremble at the edge of his voice. "I remember one of them broke my leg, then my arm. Then nothing until I woke up here, covered in freaking maggots." He let out a weak laugh and ran a hand through his hair. "Dude, I am having a _really_ shitty day."

"You aren't alone, Yosuke-senpai."

"Yeah. I know." Yosuke paused. "That stuff Souji said. It wasn't you saying it, right? I mean, you didn't hear it or anything?"

Naoto shook her head. "No. I heard only what he said to me."

"So it was probably Izanami getting inside our heads again? Or Souji's Shadow?" Yosuke groaned. "I don't know which is worse."

"You said yourself that Souji never had a Shadow. Given the evidence so far, I think that—"

_Naoto-kun? Is that you?_

Naoto stopped walking. "Rise-chan?"

"Wait, you heard her too?" Yosuke asked. "Hey, Rise, where are you?"

_Oh, man...I _knew _I could hear you guys! I'm so, so glad you're okay! I don't know where I am, but Kanzeon says you're pretty close by._

"Don't worry." As usual, Naoto felt slightly absurd speaking out loud to someone who was nowhere to be seen. "We'll search the surrounding area."

Without knowing where they were, Rise was unable to provide firm directions. She could only tell them whether Kanzeon sensed their presence being closer, or further away. The improvised game of Hotter, Colder went on for quite some time before Yosuke and Naoto emerged into a small chamber, lit by a single torch on the wall. Chie was lying on the ground inside, her head resting in Rise's lap.

Yosuke cursed under his breath. "Is she okay?"

"I-I think so," Rise said. "Kanzeon doesn't sense anything wrong with her. It's like she just hasn't woken up yet." She pointed to the rear of the chamber. In the dim light, Naoto could make out two stone coffins side by side. "We...we were in those."

Yosuke let out a low whistle. "Okay, so _that's_ creepy."

Rise bit her lip. "Well, the lids were pushed aside, so I got myself and Chie-senpai out okay, but...yeah." She looked down at Chie. "I didn't want to leave her behind, so I was waiting for her to wake up."

"Let me try a Diarama," said Yosuke, card already in hand. Susano-O appeared, barely able to fit in the small cavern, and Chie's body was bathed in a blue-white glow. Nothing happened.

At a loss, Yosuke and Naoto both sat on the ground, and waited. Long minutes passed in silence before Chie finally stirred in Rise's lap. Her eyelids fluttered, then snapped open, and she stared up at Yosuke, eyes wide. "S-Souji? What're you—no, wait, you're—" Then she was rolling out of Rise's lap and scrabbling shakily to her feet. Immediately she fell into a fighting stance, gaze firmly on Yosuke.

He stood and raised both hands, palms outward. "Hey, hey! What's wrong?"

Rise leapt up as well. "Chie-senpai! Stop!"

Chie watched Yosuke warily but made no move to attack. "Rise-chan, trust me. That isn't Souji, it's his Shadow!" She shot Yosuke a look of contempt. "Say what you want! I'm not listening to any of it, got that?"

"Chie-senpai, please!" Rise stepped forward and tentatively laid a hand on Chie's arm. "It's Yosuke-senpai!"

Chie's eyes flickered toward her, then focused back on Yosuke. "...Then why am I seeing—" She glanced at Naoto, who was standing off to the side. "And the real Souji's here too? Did I wake up halfway through something?"

"No! Well, okay, yes, but—they aren't actually—"

"The same thing happened to us," said Yosuke. "Naoto and I had to throw down because of it."

Rise squeezed Chie's arm. "Souji-senpai isn't here, Chie-senpai. C'mon, of all people I'd be the one to know, right?"

Chie hesitated, gaze shifting between Yosuke and Naoto, then took a deep breath. "...Okay. You – you've got Kanzeon and all, so let's say you're right. How do I make the Shadow shut up?"

There was a long pause, as if Rise was uncertain how to answer. "Just...ignore him, I guess?"

"It isn't _working_! The stuff he's saying, none of it's true but he won't stop talking, and—"

Naoto darted forward, drew back her fist, and swung a right hook into Chie's face.

Chie yelped and staggered to the side, but didn't fall. She grimaced, blinked repeatedly, shook her head - then finally looked at Naoto. "...Wow, Naoto-kun."

"What?"

"Your punches _suck. _You and I need to do some serious training together, okay?" Her smile looked more than a little forced. "But thanks. No more Souji-Shadow."

Yosuke let out a breath. "Cool. Glad to hear it. Please don't threaten to kick my ass again?"

"No promises." She eyed him carefully. "It really is you, huh?"

"'Fraid so."

"Sorry…I should've realized earlier. It was just really convincing, you know?" Hands on hips, Chie looked around the cave. "Anyway, where the heck are we? What happened to—" She stopped, immediately paling. "Oh. I—right." Another smile, this one even weaker. "...So we died, huh?"

"It would appear so," said Naoto. Given Izanami's role in events, it seemed most likely they were in some representation of Yomi. But her theories were still embryonic, and, in a rare display of tact, she elected to focus on encouraging the others. "However, confusion over Souji's potential Shadow aside, we remain aware of our surroundings and events occurring within. If we keep clear heads and continue to think logically, and do not—"

"What Naoto-kun's eventually going to get around to saying," Rise cut in, "is that we might be able to get out of here."

"What about Souji?" Chie asked. "I mean, I got myself killed trying to save him, so is he okay?"

Rise shook her head, one hand clutching her opposite arm. "Once you guys were all...gone, there was nobody left to help him. The darkness dragged him down. After that, it got me." She shivered. "I remember feeling so cold it was painful, and then nothing until I woke up here."

"Suggesting Souji-senpai is most likely here too," said Naoto.

"I don't know. I can't hear him with Kanzeon." Rise hesitated, with a nervous glance at Naoto. "I – can't hear the others, either."

"Yukiko's fine," Chie shot back, as if on reflex.

"Yeah. They all are. They're probably just out of range or something." Yosuke nodded back toward the corridor. "Let's go find them."

* * *

_"So, you ready to go kick a god's ass tonight?"_

_Naoto shot Kanji a sharp glance. "It isn't as simple as that. Izanami is a powerful goddess, and yet you make it sound as—"_

_"I know, I know." He shrugged, then leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "Just trying not to get too down 'bout it, I guess."_

_She looked at her watch, and switched it from distance to time. "We need to leave for school."_

_He stood from the sofa. "You wanna go in separately, right?" he asked quietly._

_If they didn't, others might assume they'd come from the same place, or at the very least would notice them walking together. Though she had many more important considerations right now, Naoto couldn't help cringing at the memory of what had happened inside the TV the previous evening, and the realization that the entire team knew about her and Kanji. Yet if they already knew, there was no purpose in continuing to hide. Logically, she understood that. Putting it into practice was quite different – but increasingly vital._

_She paused, biting her lip. "We…don't have to do that."_

_He glanced at her, then stared at the wall. "I don't wanna make you uncomfortable."_

_He didn't, and neither did he embarrass her. He was unconventional, but then so was she. Nor did she wish to be with Souji instead. Kanji had missed the real issue again and again, through no fault of his own; Naoto understood well enough the instinct to look for flaws in oneself when in truth they lay with those around you. He was simply blinded by his fears, just as she lacked the language to explain her own._

_They were teenagers, she had told herself, and both burdened by interpersonal failings. There were bound to be difficulties – but knowing this did not ease her sense of guilt._

_Kanji stood in the doorway, hand held out. "You ready?"_

* * *

In retrospect, they should have been more cautious – should have realized that nothing here was simple – but the moment Rise first located Souji, the real Souji, they all surged forward. Yamato Takeru and Naoto took the lead as they ran through the cave, Kanzeon and Rise directing them and mapping the layout.

The first clue that something was wrong came when they reached the final chamber, the place where Souji was meant to be, and saw fog spilling out into the corridor. _Something's weird_, Rise said through Kanzeon, _I think the others are there too, but—_

But they didn't stop. That was the mistake. Naoto was the first to enter, clear-headedness and logic both forgotten. Inside, Yamato Takeru's light barely pierced the mist – but on the floor ahead, just visible, was an outstretched hand. She dashed forward and dropped to her knees. Kanji – it was his hand, he was lying motionless on the ground, and behind her Chie was yelling Yukiko's name. They needed Yosuke, the only one among them with healing magic, and Naoto glanced over her shoulder to call him for help.

He was staring straight ahead, eyes wide.

Electricity seared through her body, threw her across the chamber, and her vision went dark.

* * *

_The problem was multifaceted, but came down to the element of risk._

_Allowing herself to rely on Kanji was challenging enough, but to have others observe her doing so was to advertise a weakness. _Emotions_ were a weakness. They put her very sense of self in peril; how could she be strong and capable with such a glaring vulnerability? If the relationship was open knowledge, so was this failing, and Naoto could no longer present the same self, could no longer define herself in the same terms. Worse, to acknowledge their relationship would be to make a public confession of something she was barely ready to admit to herself. It would make their connection _real_ – and if that became real, so did the risk of loss. People always left, whether by will or otherwise, and Kanji would be no exception. It had always been safer to keep people at a distance. Easier._

_...As was this endless rationalization of her thinking._

_She glanced at Kanji as they walked side by side to school. She hadn't anticipated him visiting her last night, hadn't fully acknowledged she wanted him to until he'd knocked on the door to her apartment. He'd been there all the same, and today they would face down a goddess together. But before all that, before they left this morning, he'd again offered again to walk a few minutes ahead of her – and she'd refused._

_There were times when risk was unavoidable._

_Naoto moved closer, and wished she had the courage to take his hand._

* * *

Kanji was pinned against the cavern wall, blood trickling from the ice spikes speared through his hands and feet. Yukiko was beside him, in the same condition; next to her, Chie and Teddie. Above them, Naoto and Yosuke both hung horizontal, suspended in ice shards, impaled on the rocky ceiling.

…The ice should be melting, Naoto thought. Body temperature. Did that apply here? She tried to turn her head, but the spikes piercing her shoulders flared like fire. Below her, Rise was sobbing.

Blood loss. She should be dead from that. It was falling in fat drops, splashing on the stone beneath. But they were presumably already dead, meaning they could all be stuck here indefinitely, or as long as—

Electricity arced out in a bolt, slamming into her and the others. Naoto cried out on reflex, wrenching against the ceiling, but the ice spikes remained in place.

"Stop!" she heard Souji yell for a third time.

The Ziodyne lasted another long, agonizing moment before the magic finally dissipated. She opened her eyes to see Souji kneeling on the ground below. Dark tendrils restrained him, so similar to those that had dragged them down to this place. From this strange angle she couldn't see his face, but his shoulders were heaving – and ahead of him in the fog, white robed and silver-haired, stood Izanami's human form.

_"You can spare them, Izanagi,"_ she said. Bufudyne, cast without raising her hands: a flurry of snow and ice that missed Naoto and Yosuke but hit those pinned to the wall head on. Ragged cries sounded through the chamber, Kanji's the most sickening of all. Naoto needed to help him. He was injured, in pain - but so was she and she still couldn't move and all this was _Souji's_ fault, he'd brought them to face Izanami and gotten them killed, Souji was responsible. Naoto had only dimly registered what the goddess had been saying to him – _Izanagi_, she'd kept calling him, _Izanagi, you left me once before_ – but it made horrible sense. She'd claimed to be fulfilling humanity's desires and the team, like insolent children, had insisted otherwise – but this was a deeper, older story. One Souji should have foreseen.

He twisted against the shadowy hands. "Why are you doing this?"

_"This is my domain, the place where you abandoned me."_

He stopped. When he spoke again his voice was cold. "That wasn't me. Y-You _gave_ me Izanagi, same as Adachi and Namatame." He was breathing hard, whether from exertion or emotion. "Stop hurting my friends."

Izanami ran a finger along his jaw_. "Remain with me, and I will release them."_

"I – I can't."

Her voice was soft now, almost gentle. _"Why?"_

"The rest of the world. You've already told us what you're planning to do. I – have to stop you."

"We're _all_ going to stop you!" Rise cried. She was kneeling on the ground, unrestrained yet as helpless as the rest. What could she do against a god?

_"Everything was for mankind's sake - to create the world humans so wanted. A world where you see only what you want to see…an existence shrouded in fog," _Izanami said. _"You cannot deny humanity's true desires."_

The freezing spikes burned hot in Naoto's flesh. Blood continued to drip. On the wall, Chie was struggling to break free, and earned a violent Ziodyne for her efforts.

Souji struggled in the tendrils' grip. "Stop! I won't give in!"

Izanami paused. _"You insist on defying me?"_

"Yes. I _insist_," Souji spat.

_"Then I will take back what was given."_

Blinding light. The fog was lost and the chamber seemed to tip at angles, Naoto's stomach lurching with the motion. Souji was groaning – no, screaming, now – as the raw hum of magic throbbed through her bones. It grew louder, louder, seemed to shake the ceiling above her – then died away.

Suddenly the ceiling was no longer at her back but in front of her, her body pressed against cold hard tile in place of rock. She shrugged her shoulders experimentally; the spears of ice were gone. For a brief moment she could still feel the spikes in her hands and feet and stomach, but even that sensation soon faded.

Naoto pushed herself up onto her elbows, and opened her eyes to an expanse of fog.


End file.
